THE
EARLY HISTORY -
OF THE
TOWN OF BIRR, OR PARSONSTOWN
THE PARTICULARS OF REMARKABLE EVENTS THE#E IN
MORE RECENT TIMES
ALSO THE TOWNS OF
NENAGH, ROSCREA, BANAGHER, TULLAMORE, PHILIPSTOWN,
FRANKFORD, SHINRONE, KINNETTY AND BALLYBOY
AITD
THE ANCIENT SEPTS, PRINCES, AND CELEBRATED PLACES OF
THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY
BY THE LATE
*
THOMAS LALOR COOKE
Amicwt Plato, amicw Socrates, sed magis amicus Feritas
ROBERTSON & CO.
3 GRAFTON STREET, DUBLIN
1875
7-75
DUHLIN STEAM PHINTING COMPANY,
DUBLIN AND LONDON.
ERRATA.
PAGE 34, line 17, for " Frankfort," read " Franckfort."
42,
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" part,"
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"parts."
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"lawn,"
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" bawn."
101,
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" Clare,"
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" Clere."
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128,
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18,
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"Ruir-Cre,"
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"Ruts- Ore."
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"Ror-Crel'
"Ros-Cre."
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"religions,"
"religious."
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151,
12,
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"M'Cuileman,"
,
"M'Cuilenan
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171,
16,
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" Primwdia"
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" Primordial."
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209,
10,
" Hibernicon"
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" Hibernicum."
246,
12,
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"carborate,"
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"carbonate."
"
286,
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6,
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" Tir-da-fflair,"
>t
" Tir-da-fflais."
INTRODUCTION.
IT is with diffidence I introduce this work to the
public. The people of Birr and the neighbourhood
are aware that neither my father, the late Thomas
Lalor Cooke, by whom the materials were collected,
nor I, who arranged and put these materials in their
present form, could devote much of our time to such
an occupation. In consequence of this, and my father's
long illness and death, there has been delay in the
publication ; and it cannot be expected that even now
this book could be as perfect in style and finish as if
it were the production of an experienced author, whose
entire time was passed in literary pursuits.
If deficient in some respects, it is hoped, however,
the following pages will be found truthful, and to
contain nothing of importance for which there is not
an authority. The authorities referred to will, it is
also expected, be found such as should be accessible
to most of those likely to read these pages ; and, at all
yiii INTRODUCTION.
events, care has been taken to avoid, as far as possible,
reference to authors whose works might be difficult of
access by ordinary readers. Hence it is, the Annals
of the Four Masters have been so frequently quoted,
and generally not farther back than the English
Invasion, while, for greater simplicity, the authorities
are mentioned in the text. In fine, this book is in-
tended to give the people of Birr and the neighbouring
towns and surrounding country, a general knowledge
of the early history of this part of Ireland, with the
particulars of remarkable circumstances connected with
it, and is not put forward as a bewildering display of
antiquarian knowledge and profound research. This
object, and a strict observance of the motto on the title
page, by a careful regard for truth ; with the possibility
that, perhaps, the attempt to bring to more particular
notice this part of Ireland, may lead to similar
exertions being made as respects other portions of the
country; these are the only merits claimed for this
book.
As I have said, there has been considerable delay
with the publication, and changes have, in consequence,
taken place while it was in progress. Thus, several
most respected subscribers have passed away in the
meantime, some from amongst those who had long
since given their names to my late father, while others
INTRODUCTION. ix.
of them had favoured myself more recently. The
names of the subscribers thus given myself are now
published, but having been unable to find my father's
original list, I can only mention the circumstance, and
claim the indulgence of such subscribers as may
find their names omitted. Amongst the subscribers '
who have died are, The Most Eev. Dr. Leahy, the
beloved Eoman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel ; the
upright judge, Lord Chief Baron Pigot ; Major-
General the Et. Hon. F. P. Dunne, the worthy head
of the O'Dunns (p. 264), an illustrious Irish race ;
Col. the Hon. J. C. Westenra, my father's early friend ;
and the talented, generous, and universally-respected
Major Knox, of the Irish Times. Since the death of
Col. "Westenra, Sharavogue (p. 186) has been the seat
of Lord Hastings, his son-in-law. While this work
was in progress, two Earls of Charleville have likewise
died, and, as the Bury family is referred to (p. 261)
in connexion with the town of Tullamore, I may be
excused for bearing rny humble testimony here to the
sorrow for the loss of the deceased, and respect for
their memories, felt by those who knew them best the
people of Tullamore and the neighbourhood.
Other changes have also taken % place during this
time. The Crimean Gun, stated (p. 125) to have been
presented to the town of Birr (the date shoulcf be 18 ~>fc'
X INTRODUCTION.
and not 1848) and which was then placed by the Town
Commissioners in the demesne of the late Earl of
Eosse, now stands on John's Mall in the town, on the
very spot where my late father proposed to place it.
For this act of justice, the people of Birr are indebted
to the present Earl of Eosse, and, of course, the
observations in this work as to the gun not being
in the town, have ceased to be applicable. The
remarkable disappearance of a river at the Eape Mills,
a few miles from Birr, is also referred to (p. 313),
and the reader is invited to visit the place. Late
improvements, however, in the way of drainage, have
left nothing of interest to be seen there.
la addition to the history of the town of Birr,
much of which was included in my father's Picture of
Parsonstown, published some fifty years since, the
present work gives the early histories of most of the
towns and remarkable places in the country around
Birr, bounded by the river Shannon on one side, and
taking in a circuit extending to some twenty miles or
more from Birr on the other sides. This, of course,
includes the greater part of the King's County, with
the northern portion of the County Tipperary. It is
not pretended that every place of interest within this
extent of country is treated on in the following pages,
or even that the full history of every place alluded to
INTRODUCTION. x [
is given, for present circumstances would not permit
this being done. The most remarkable places have
been generally mentioned, however, and the most
interesting circumstances connected with these places
have been selected, and if at any time the publication
of an enlarged edition should seem desirable, the
materials will not be wanting.
Those who take an interest in the subject will
probably read through the following pages, as each
portion is more or less connected with the rest. If,
however, any person merely desires to refer to some
particular place or circumstance, a glance at the
" Contents " will, it is hoped, enable him to judge as
to where he may be likely to find what is required.
The first eight chapters, comprising the " History of
Birr," follow each other in chronological order, and
the reader is informed to what period each chapter
relates. The " Contents " will likewise show what
particular district may be the chief subject of each
subsequent chapter, and on turning to any of these,
attention is generally further directed by the heading
of the page, to any particular place or circumstance of
importance. In like manner, the " Contents " will
show what is contained in the Appendix, and the page
at which each part is to be found. The names of the
inhabitants of the different towns in 1823, as given in
, Xll INTEODUCTION.
this Appendix, are taken from Pigot fy Company- } s
Directory , published in 1824.
In conclusion, I may state that any merits to be
found in this work are the result of my late father's
knowledge, accuracy, and research, while its defects
may be attributed to deficiencies on my part.
WM. ANTISELL COOKE.
BIRR, August 1875.
SUBSCKIBEBS.
His Grace the Duke of Abercorn, K.G., Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland, &c., &c.
His Grace the Archbishop of Dublin.
His Eminence Cardinal Cullen, E. 0. Archbishop of Dublin.
His Eminence Cardinal Manning, E. C. Archbishop of West-
minster.
His Grace the late Most Eev. Dr. Leahy, E. C. Archbishop of
Cashel.
Eight Hon. John Thomas Ball, Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, K.G.
His Grace the Duke of Leinster.
Marquis of Kildare.
Eight Hon. Earl Spencer, K.G.
Eight Hon. the Earl of Westmeath.
Eight Hon. the Earl of Portarlington.
Lord Hastings.
Eight Eev. the Bishop of Meath.
Eight Eev. the E. C. Bishop of Killaloe.
Eight Hon. Lord Talbot de Malahide.
Eight Hon. Lord O'Hagaii.
Eight Hon. Lord Carlingibrd.
The late Eight Hon. Lord Chief Baron Pigot.
Eight Hon. William F. Cogan,' M.P.
Eight Hon. Lord Chief Baron Palles.
Major-General the late Eight Hon. F. P. Dunne.
Colonel the late Hon. John C. Westenra, D.L.
Sir William H. Beecher, Bart.
Sir Arthur E. Guinness, Bart., M.P.
Sir Francis W. Brady, Bart.
Sir Bernard Burke, C.B., LL.D., Ulster King of Arms.
Sir Eichard J. T. Orpen, President of the Law Society.
Count O'Byrne.
Colonel Thomas Bernard, Lieutenant of the King's County.
Very Eev. Humphrey Lloyd, D.D., Provost of Trinity College,
Dublin.
Very Eev. Dr. Eussell, President of Maynooth College.
Very Eev. Charles Vignoles, D.D., Dean of Ossory.
Mr. Sergeant Armstrong.
Mr. Sergeant Sherlock, M.P.
XIV
SUBSCRIBERS.
A.
Abbess, the Very Eev., Birr
Convent.
Armstrong, Captain C. J., J.P.,
Mount Carteret, Banagher.
Armstrong, J. P., Esq., J.P.,
Claremont, Banagher.
Armstrong, W. B., Esq., Bal-
Iver, Cloghan.
'Atkinson, Mrs. Anne M., Can-
gort, Shinrone.
Acres, Mr. G., Ballyinn, Lismore.
Arnold, Mr. M., Birr.
B.
Bennett, F.V., Esq., D.L., Bray.
Bugler, Very Eev. M., P.P.,Y.G.,
Birr.
Beauman, Mr. A., C.P.S., Kin-
netty.
Bermingham, Mr. D., Eoscrea.
Brereton, Jas., Esq., California.
Brereton, Mr. J., Crinkle, Birr.
Burke, Mr. Patrick, Galros.
C.
Collis, Eev. M. A. Cooke, D.D.,
Castle Cooke.
Curran, H. G., Esq., E.M., Birr.
Coppinger, J. W., Esq., Solici-
tor, Dublin.
Crowe, Eev. P., C.C., Eoscrea.
Connolly, Mr. James, Birr.
Conway, Mr. James, Birr.
Cooney, Mr. Patrick, Frankford.
Corcoran, Mr. J., Streamstown,
Kinnetty.
Corcoran, Mr. Wm., Eoscrea.
Coghlan, Mr. P., E.I.C., Kil-
leenagh.
Comerford, Mr. William, New
York.
D.
Darby, W. H., Esq., Leap Castle.
Davis, Eev. J. A., A.B., Kil-
coleman.
Dunne, Major E., Brittas, Clon-
aslee.
Dunne, Charles, Esq.
Dowling, W. D., Esq., Solicitor,
Tullamore.
Dwyer, J. D., Esq., Ballyquirk
Castle.
Donnelly, Mr. P., Cadamstown.
E.
Eyre, Capt. J., J.P., Eyrecourt
Castle.
Evans, J., Esq., Ballyrickard,
Eoscrea.
Edwards, Mr. Joseph, Birr.
Egan, Mr.W.,Eockfort, Clough-
jordan.
Egan, Mr. Michael, Birr.
E.
Fayle, Wm. K., Esq., Birr.
Foy, Mr. J. M., Athlone.
Franks, A. W., Esq., British
Museum.
Fraser, Capt. T. L., Adlington,
England.
Fraser, T. J., Esq., Hazelfort,
Shinrone.
Fahy, Mr. John, Banagher.
G
Gill, P. E., Esq., Proprietor Tip-
perary Advocate, Nenagh.
Graves, Eev. J., D.D., Hon.
Sec. H. and A. Association of
Ireland.
Graves, Major W. Grogan, 82nd
Eegiment.
Grome, J. P., Esq., J.P., Birr.
Grogan, Mr. Patrick, Killyon.
SUBSCRIBERS.
XV
H.
Halpin, Rev. T. J., Upper Gar-
diner Street, Dublin.
Hanna, William, Esq., Down-
patrick.
Hayman, Eev. S.,M.A., Grange
Erin, Cork.
Head, W. H., Esq., J.P., Derry-
la luui Park.
Heron, D. C., Esq., Q.C., Upper
Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin.
Hutchinson, J. F., Esq., Dun-
gar, Eoscrea.
Heaton, Mr. Wm., late E.I.C.,
Lismore.
Heaton, Mr. George, Eathkeale.
Hernan, Mr. Andrew, Birr.
Hogan, Mr. John, Lismore.
Horan, Mr. M., Inland Eevenue.
J.
James, Eev. A. B., M.A., Agh-
ancon.
K.
Kennedy, Very Eev. Plj, P.P.,
V.G., Eoscrea.
King, J. G., Esq., D.L., Bally-
lin, Ferbane.
Kingston, Eev. J., C.C., Lorha.
Knox, Major L. E., D.L., Fitz-
william Square, Dublin.
Knox, Venerable Archdeacon,
Lorha.
Kelly, Mr. Thomas, T.C., Birr.
Kelly, Mr. Eichard, Birr.
Kennedy, Mr. M. D., Birr.
L.
Lalor, T. Esq., D.L., Gregg,
Carrick-on-Suir.
Lloyd, J., Esq., D.L., Gloster,
Shinrone.
M.
Marshall, Mrs., Baronne Court,
Birr.
M'Causland, Eev. M., M.A.,
Birr.
Morris, Wm. O'Connor, Esq.,
J.P., Eutland Square, Dublin.
MacEgan, D. J., Esq., Solicitor,
Eathgar.
Morgan, Eev. J., D.D., Lismore.
M'Mahon,Eev.F.,P.P.,Clonlara.-
Molloy, Constantino, Esq., Bar-
rister-at-Law, Tullamore.
Madden, Eev. J., P.P., Lusmagh.
Mitchell, A., Esq., Solicitor,
Walcot, Birr.
Maunsell, H. J., Esq., Clonlisk
House, Eoscrea.
Molloy, D., Esq., Sec. G. S. and
W. Eailway, Dublin.
Mathews, Mr. Stephen, T.C.,
Birr.
Magee, Mr. John, Birr.
Maher, Mr. N., Birr.
Marks, Mr. Wm., Birr.
Molloy, Mr. T., C.P.S., Killyon.
Moran, Mr. Michael, Birr.
Mullins, Mr. John, Lismore.
Murray, Mr. John, Lismore.
N.
Norris, W. J., Esq., D.C.P.,
Tullamore.
0.
O'Brien, Eev. C., P.P., Lorha.
O'Callaghan, Miss, Frankford.
O'Kelly, Wm. P., Esq., J.P.,
Gurtray, Ballinasloe.
O'Meara, Wm., Esq., J.P., Birr.
0' Carroll, Mr. Daniel, Tullamore.
O'Carroll, Mr. Martin, Athlone.
P.
Peacey, W. M., Esq., Banagher.
XVI
SUBSCRIBERS.
-Phelan, Eev. Thomas, O.C.,
Birr.
Pirn, Jonathan, Esq., William
Street, Dublin.
Poe, GL P., Esq., Cloughmoyle,
Shinrone.
Q.
Quigley, Mr. Mark, Birr.
E.
Rolleston, J. F., Esq., D.L.,
Franckfort Castle, Dunkerrin.
Eidley, Mr. Win., West Meri-
den, United States.
S.
Scott, Eev. J. H., M.A., Seir
Kyran, Birr.
Stoney, Thomas B., Esq., J.P.,
Portland.
Ston,ey, Mrs., Leixlip.
Scroope, H., Esq., Ballystanly,
Eoscrea.
Sheridan, Mr. Patrick, Birr.
Smyth, Mr. Eobert, Tullamore.
"""** Stanley, Mr. Thomas, Tullamore.
Sweeney, Mr. John, Crinkle,
Birr.
T.
Tibbs, Eev. P. G., M. A., Birr.
Toohey, Eev. J., P.P., Shinrone.
U.
Usher, J. F., Esq., M.D., Bal-
larat, Australia.
Yignoles, Eev. 0., M.A., Burn-
church, Bennettsbridge.
Vaughan, Mr. Patrick, Birr.
W.
Waldron, Laurence, Esq., D.L.,
Bally brack.
Walker, J. J., Esq., J.P., Bel-
field, Shinrone.
Waller, G-. A., Esq., Prior Park,
Nenagh.
Wetherelt, Eev. F. W., M.A.,
Eathmolyon, Enfield.
Wilson, Mr. J., E.I.C., Lismore.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I., p. 1.
BIBB, PBEVIOUS TO SAINT BRENDAN'S TIME.
Situation of Birr, and derivation of the name. The Abhan
Chara river. Antiquity of Birr. Ely O'Carroll, and its
princes. Birr in ancient Minister. The people of Birr
brought into notice, A.D. 212. Birr known as "Umbilicus
Hiberniee." Sun-worship near Birr.
CHAPTER II., p. 10.
FBOM SAENT BRENDAN TO THE ENGLISH INVASION.
Saint Brendan "Brendanus Biorra" one of the "Twelve
Apostles of Erin." Probable visit of St. Patrick to Birr.
A battle there. Alleged ascension to heaven of St. Brendan.
His successors. The "Codex Rusworthianus." Royal
meeting at Birr. The town plundered several times. An-
other battle there. The troops of Ely O'Carroll, at the
Battle of Clontarf. O'Connor, King of Ireland, encamped
near Birr. The King of Cathluighe killed at the church
door. The town burned. The " Synod of Birr," A.D. 1 170.
CHAPTER III., p. 20.
FROM THE ENGLISH INVASION TO THE " PLANTATION " OF ELY
O'CARKOLL, A.D. 1619.
King Henry II. bestows O'Carroll's country, including Birr,
on Philip de Worcester and Theobald Fitzwalter. The
latter grants Birr to the " Baron of Galtrim." The castle
of "Byrre" besieged, and the town burned, by Murtagh
O'Byran, A.D. 1207. The O'CarroUs. The Earl of Kildare
wounded at the siege of Birr Castle, in 1532. Death of
Maoboona O'Carroll. Treaty between Ferganainm O'Carroll
and King Henry VIII. The English expelled from Ely
O'Carroll. The King's and Queen's Counties formed. >ir
William "O'Kerroll" surrenders Ely O'Carroll to Queen
Elizabeth. Calvagh O'Carroll attends her Irish Parliament.
Ely O'Carroll as described by John Dimmock.
xviii CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE IV., p. 35.
FROM " THE PLANTATION" TO THE DEATH OF SIR LAURENCE
PARSONS, A.D. 1628.
The " Plantation." Sir Laurence Parsons and the other " Un-
dertakers." Sir Laurence gets possession of Birr. Estab-
lishes a market and fairs there. Prices of provisions, work,
and materials, in Birr in 1620. O'CarroU petitions to be
reinstated in Birr. Sir Laurence makes leases there. The
" Glass works," and " Black Castle ;" with particulars as to
Birr at this period. Sir Laurence makes some curious
ordinances. Regulations for burials. Tolls payable. The
old gaol. Extent of Birr in 1 628.'
CHAPTER V., p. 52.
FROM THE DEATH OF SIR LAURENCE TO THE DEATH OF MR.
WILLIAM PARSONS, A.D. 1653.
Mr. William Parsons appointed Governor of Ely O'CarroIl and
Birr Castle. Birr in the war of 1641. The Irish attack
Clonoghil and Ballindara Castles, near Birr. Letters from
Phelim Molloy to Governor Parsons, and from Colonel
Moore to Lady Parsons. Birr garrison put on the Govern-
ment establishment. The castle besieged by the Irish, and
relieved by Sir Charles Coote. Birr in 1643. The castle
attacked by General Preston. Summons to surrender, and
the Governor's reply. Forced to capitulate. Lord Castle-
haven describes what then occurred. The Confederate
Catholics in possession of Birr. Substance of their oath.
O'Neill makes an attempt on Birr, but General Preston
raises the siege. Birr taken from the Irish by General
Ireton. Retaken by the Marquis of Clanricarde, who is
forced by Colonel Axtell to retire again.
CHAPTER YL, p. 66.
FROM THE DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM PARSONS TO THE DEATH OF SIR
LAURENCE PARSONS, BART., IN 1698.
Bequest by Mr. William Parsons, for support of an Almshouse
in Birr. His son Laurence created a Baronet. Curious
genealogical entry. Tradesmen's tokens struck in Birr.
The "Borough of Byrr" returns two members to Parlia-
ment. Trade of "the Byrre " in 1682. Raparees in the
CONTENTS. xi.\
neighbourhood. Birr Castle besieged by Colonel Grace and
Captain Oxburgh. Terms of capitulation agreed upon. Sir
Laurence Parsons, Mr. Jonathan Darby, and others, arrested.
Convicted of high treason, and sentenced to be hanged,
drawn, and quartered. The Protestant clergyman quits
Birr, and the glebe and tythes are set to the Eomau Catholic
priest. "Reconcilement" of Birr Church. Sarsfield in
Birr. Colonel Oxburgh, Provost Marshall of the King's
County. A gallows erected in Birr. Sir Laurence Parsons
confined in the old gaol there. The fate of Oxburgh and
his family. Sir Laurence liberated. From Birr to Dublin,
four days journey. Commissioners of Array for the King's
County. Birr Castle attacked in 1690, by Colonel Sarsfield
with 10,000 men. Incidents of the siege. The besiegers
retire, and General Douglas relieves the place. Birr fortified.
Lord Lisburn. Misconduct of King William's army in
Birr, and destruction of property there. Skirmishes between
the garrisons of Birr and Banagher. Death of Sir Laurence
Parsons. His successors.
CHAPTEE VII., p. 89.
FROM THE DEATH OF SIR LAURENCE PARSONS IN 1698, TO THE
TEAR 1800.
Cumberland Pillar erected in Birr. A Freemason's Lodge estab-
lished. The King's County Volunteer Corps, under General
Sir William Parsons. Meeting at Birr of Delegates from
several Volunteer Corps. Resolutions passed by them. The
Volunteers reviewed at Woodfield, near Birr. Great flood
in the Birr river. First Quarter Sessions held at Birr. State
of Birr in 1 798. Sir Laurence Parsons of that time denounced
as a rebel. A vote of censure on him, proposed in the Grand
Jury at Birr Quarter Sessions. A petition to Government
against Sir Laurence, set on foot by the Protestants of Birr.
Signed by Peter Singen, the Birr bellman, as "Lord
Maxwell." Sir Laurence stopped by the Yeomanry at the
Five Alley, on his way to Dublin. Charles Slavin tried in
the Market-house, and strangled at the old gaol of Birr.
Sergeant Morressy, of the Dunkerrin Yeomen, also tried
there, and shot at " the Harrow," near Birr. Thomas
Doolan murdered at Boveen. Several persons flogged at
Birr. A meeting of magistrates and other freeholders held
there in the year 1800, to petition against the Union, dis-
persed by military force. Sir Laurence Parsons brings the
subject before the Irish Parliament.
XX CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE VIII., p. 101.'
REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES AT BIRR SINCE THE YEAR 1800.
Mr. Thomas C. Parsons, brother to Sir Laurence, appointed
Assistant Barrister for the King's County. Great Pro-
testant meeting at Birr, against the Roman Catholic claims
for religious equality. Messrs. O'Connor, Armstrong, and
Warburton, with Colonel 0' Moore, oppose the proceedings.
Birr Protestant Church built in 1815. Oxmantown Bridge
erected in 1817. Meaning of the name Oxmantown. The
Roman Catholic Church of Birr commenced in 1817. The
first stone laid. Remarkable circumstances connected with
Roman Catholic affairs in Birr. The "Siege of Birr," or
"Birr Rebellion." Wesley Chapel erected in 1820. Strange
proceedings at Birr Quarter Sessions in 1822. Names of
about sixty magistrates then present. Death of Mr. Thomas
Clere Parsons. Imposing ceremony of laying the first stone
of a cenotaph to his memory. Fate of the Parsons testi-
monial of 1827. The office of Sessional Crown Prosecutor
in Ireland, originates in Birr. Another curious scene at
Birr Quarter Sessions. First telegram of a public nature
sent from Birr. Presentation of a Crimean gun to the
inhabitants in 1858. Appeal on behalf of the ancient name
"Birr."
CHAPTER YIII., p. 128.
Roscrea. Its ancient names. St. Cronan. Carrick Hill, and
cTefeat of the Danes. Their flight from Roscrea. The
" Glass Kennic," or " Chain of Canice." Roscrea burned
and plundered several times. Castles built there. Its
Abbey and Abbots. Round tower. The ancient Franciscan
Friary, and new Roman Catholic -Church. The "Roscrea
Blues," and Roscrea Southern Star. Monaincha Abbey.
The Culdees, or "Sons of Life."
CHAPTER IX., p. 149.
Kinnitty, and St. Ita. The Abbey and Abbots of Cinneity. The
" Mountain Rangers." Castle Bernard. Ancient cross and
stone figure. Drumcullen ; St. Barrind ; and Knockbarron,
CONTENTS. XXI
" the Hill of Barrind." Sleibli Bloom Mountains, and Ard-
na-Erin. The " Capeall-ban," or White Horse. The son
of Desmond on Sleibh Bloom. Hugh O'Neill, and
"O'Neill's Well." MacGillaphadric and King Henry VIII.
The Delagais. Cadamstown, formerly Bally-mac-Adam.
Kilcoleman, the ancient Daire-More.
CHAPTEE X., p. 166.
Seir Kyran and St. Kyran the Elder. His successors. A bishop
engaged in single combat. Plate presented to Saiger
Church by Queen Mary. Curious Hound Tower. Conse-
crated fires. Chichideus killed by wolves near Seir Kyran.
Breaghmore, the " Great Wolf." St. Kyran's Bell. Killyon.
The first nunnery in Ireland founded there by St. Kyran.
Ancient cooking hearth. The " Fenians," and their mode
of cooking. Clonbrone, the fasting place of St Canice, suc-
cessor of St. Kyran.
CHAPTEE XI., p. 186.
Shinrone, and the marching of the " Green Boys " on it, in 1828.
CHAPTEE XII., p. 209.
Kilcommon and Brusna. Leap, Clonlisk, and Dunkerrin or
Franckfort, Castles.
CHAPTEE XUL, p. 226.
Fearcall, the O'Molloy's country ; including Frankford and
Ballyboy, Broghall, Derrydohiy, Killtubrid, Eath, Dowris,
&c. The " Dowris Bronzes."
CHAPTEE XIV., p. 247.
The O'Conors Failge, and Offaley; including Monasteroris,
Killeigh, Killoughy, &c. The towns of Philipstown and
Tullamore. The O'Dunns or O'Duinns, chiefs of Hy Eegan.
CHAPTEE XV., p. 269.
1
From Birr to Lorha in Lower Ormond ; including Bailindarragh
Castle ; Knocksheegowna Hill ; Barronne Court ; a re-
'^, and the " Father of the Irish
Bar."
XX11 CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVI., p. 279.
Lorha or Lothra, St. Ruadhan, and the cursing of Tara. "The
Ferry," and neighbourhood. Tirdaglass f now Terryglass.
"IgansT Irish" BieEbns and
The O'Kennedy's and Mac Egans
Brehonism. The CFMearas and Toomavara.-
CHAPTER XVII., p. 295.
Nenagh, the capital of Lower Ormond ; Theobald Walter,
~*Chief Butler" of Ireland; "Nenagh Round," and Tea-
cheon or St. John's House. The Irish " Mac " and " 0."
CHAPTER XVIII., p. 308.
The Mac Cpghlan^g. and Dealbhna Eathra. Thomas Coghlan,
Esq., ^"TheMaw." From Birr to Banagher, including
the "Ridge," and " Rapemills ; " Ballaghanoher and'
Q-arrycastle. The Town of Banagher.
CHAPTER XIX., p. 328.
Mac Coghlan's "Fair Castles." Cloghan in Delvin. Clonoony
Castle, and the tomb of the Bullyns. Their connexion with
the families of Lestrange, Atkinson, and Parsons. Castles
of Moystown, Fadden, &c. Shannon Harbour. Ferbane.
Gallen Monastery, and the Abbeys of Grlynn, Killegally, &c.
Lemanaghan, and the " Shrine of St. Manchan."
CHAPTER XX., p. 345.
Lusmagh, part of ancient Siol Anmcha. O'Huallachain and
O'Madagain, chiefs of Siol Anmcha. Eoghan O'Madden,
the "Lion of Birra." Cloghan Castle, formerly "Cloghan
O'Madden." The O'Moores, or Moore_s.
CHAPTER XXL, p. 356.
Clonmacnoise, and St. Kieran "The Younger." The Bishops
and learned men of Clonmacnoise, and remarkable events
connected with the place. Its round towers and ecclesias-
tical buildings, including the " Church of the Nuns." Der-
vorgail ; the English invasion ; and the "Song of O'Ruark."
Conclusion.
APPENDIX.
No. 1, p. 380.
Surrender of Ely O'Carroll, in 1576.
No. 2, p. 382.
Ely O'Carroll, as described by Dimmock, about 1600.
No. 3, p. 383.
iNames of the "Undertakers" who obtained grants of land, in
1619, on the "Plantation" of Ely O'Carroll, and the County
sL. of Longford ; with the quantity allotted to each.
No. 4, p. 384.
Names of the Birr tenants who took leases from Sir Laurence
Parsons in 1620. From a Rental in the handwriting of
Sir Laurence.
No. 5, p. 385.
Ordinance by Sir Laurence Parsons, for the Paving and Cleaning
of Birr, in the year 1626.
No. 6, p. 386.
Ordinance for the regulation of Drinking- houses, &c., in Birr,
in the year 1626.
No. 7, p. 387.
Ordinance for the erection of chimneys in Birr, in the year 1627.
No. 8, p. 388.
Articles entered into on the surrender of Birr Castle, the 20th of
January, 1642 (old style).
No. 9, p. 391.
Articles entered into on the surrender of Birr Caatle, the 20th
of February, 1688 (old style).
XXIV APPENDIX.
No. 11, p. 393.
; Names of those whose property in and about Birr was destroyed
in the war of 1690.
tv
No. 12, p. 395.
Names of the magistrates assembled at Birr Quarter Sessions,
the 10th of October 1822.
No. 13, p. 396.
Letters from the late Sergeant Howley, as to the origin of the office
of Sessional Crown Prosecutor in Ireland ; and the amend-
ment of the Civil Bill Act.
No. 14, p. 398.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Birr and neighbourhood,
I in the year 1823.
No. 15, p. 401.
1 Names of the principal inhabitants of Eoscrea and neighbour-
L. hood, in the year 1823.
No. 16, p. 405.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Frankford and neighbour-
hood, in the year 1823.
No. 17, p. 406.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Philipstown and neigh-
bourhood, in the year 1823.
No. 18, p. 407.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Tullamore and neighbour-
hood, in the year 1823.
No. 19, p. 410.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Nenagh and neighbour-
hood, in the year 1823.
No. 20, p. 414.
Names of the principal inhabitants of Banagher and neighbour-
hood, in the year 1823.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BIRR
FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES.
Ajf
CHAPTER I.
THE Town of Birr in later days also called Parsons-
town is situate on the Comcor River, in the parish
of Birr, barony of_Ballybritt, and King's County.
Birr is about 62 miles west-south-west from Dublin,
in latitude 53 6' north, and longitude 7 54' west
from Greenwich. The base of the pillar in Cumber-
land Square nearly the centre of the town is 182
feet over the level of the sea.
The river, flowing through Birr, although called
Comcor on the old leases, is named Chamchord in the
Down Survey Map of Ballybritt Barony, made in
1657, which name is probably derived from cam,
crooked, and cora, a weir. It was also known as
Slewmore River, meaning the river from the great
mountain. In describing the boundaries of ancient
Meath, Keating says that the boundaries run from
Geashill to Drumchuillin ; and to " the river called
Abhau Chara," and thence, by the Shannon, to
A
2 HISTORY OF BIRR.
Athlone, &c. The appellation, Abhan Chara, signi-
fies the meandering, or the terrible river ; and there
is no doubt but this river running by Drumcullen, and
thence by Birr, is the river called the Slewmore, the
Comcor, and the Chamchord river. It is remarkable,
that in the old leases, part of the town of Birr on the
river-bank, is called Lough-Cara, which signifies the
terrible lake. These different appellations given to
the Birr river, have probably originated from this
river rising in the great Slievebloom Mountains, run-
ning thence a very crooked or meandering course, and
being, as it is even at the present day, liable to be
greatly increased, at times, by the united waters of the
many mountain streams which flow into it, between
its source and the town of Birr.
It seems that in long past times, this place was
called "Tulach Brenayd," which means (according
to Hanmer's Chronicle) " Collis Brendani," or " Bren-
danshill." It was also known by the name of Birr,
Birra, or the Burre, from the Irish word birra, a
standing water ; as Mr. O'Reilly states in his Irish-
English Dictionary. We also find Birar to be an old
way of expressing Birra or Bin' ; and in some old
documents it is likewise spelled Byrre, and Byrr. In
O'Brien's Irish-English Dictionary the word birra is
explained to be, u abounding in wells and fountains
of water ; hence the name of a town in the King's
County called Birra ; English, Birr." The author of
another dictionary states that the name comes from
bir, a spit ; while others say, that this town acquired
HISTORY OF BIRR. O
its name from bior, meaning a spring- well, as also the
brink of a river. The place was likewise called
Biorra3, or Biorra, as to which O'Clery says, " Biorroe,
i.e., a plain of water, for Mr means water ; and rae
means a plain." In O'Halloran's Ireland, we find
the following: "The citadel built by Dido was
called Byrsa ; and Mr is Irish for water, hence Birra
in the King's County was so called on account of the
number of springs about it." If these numerous
springs ever existed in the neighbourhood of Bin-,
it is curious what has become of them ; for, in
late years, there does not appear to be any such
extraordinary number of springs in the vicinity of
Birr.
It is certain the name of Birr is of great antiquity,
however it may have been varied in the spelling, or
whatever may be its derivation. Keating refers to
Birr by name, when mentioning a battle fought there
between Conmaol, son of Heber Fionn, and the pos-
terity of Heremon, in the year of the world 2786.
We learn from the Chronicles ofEri, that Ollamh Fodla,
King of Ireland, some 700 years before Christ, passed
the Soir coming from Munster, and kept the waters
thereof on his right, " till he came in sight of the
waters of Biorra." The Four Masters record a battle
fought at Birr so early as the year of Christ 241,
between Cormac, son of Con of the Hundred Battles,
and the people of Munster.
Birr is situate in the ancient territory of Ely
O'Carroll, to the princes of which it formerly belonged.
4 HISTORY OF BIRR.
The Abbe Macgeoghagan tells us that this territory
was called Eile, or Ely, from Eile-Biagh-Deargh, one
of the ancestors of the tribe of 0' Carroll, who lived
in the fourth age; and that this family of the O'Carrolls
was from Heber, by Oliol Ollum, and Kian, his son.
We are indebted to a note in the Boole of Rights as
translated and edited by Dr. 'Donovan, and printed
for the Celtic Society for the following information
as to the ancient Ely O'Carroll : " Eile was the
name of a tribe and an extensive territory all in the
ancient Mumha, or Munster. They derived the name
from Eile, the seventh in descent from Cian, son of
Oliol Ollum. According to O'h-Uidhrin, this terri-
tory was divided into eight ' tuatha,' ruled by eight
petty chiefs, over whom O'Cearbhaill (O'Carroll) was
head, or king. The ancient Eile (Ely) comprised the
whole of Eile Ui Chearbhail (Ely O'Carroll), which is
! now included in the King's County, and comprises the
! baronies of Clonlisk and Ballybritt ; also the baronies
j of Ikerrin and Elyogarty, in the County of Tipperary.
/ The boundary between c Ely O'Carroll ' and the
ancient Midhe (Meath) is determined by that of the
diocese of Killaloe with the diocese of Meath, for that
portion of the King's County which belongs to the
diocese of Killaloe was ' Ely O'Carroll,' and originally
belonged to Munster. The other portions of the
original Eile, such as l Ikerrin ' and ' Elyogarty '
were detached from O'Cearbhaill shortly after the
English invasion, and added to ' Ormond ' ; but the
native chieftains, O'Meachair (O'Meagher) and
HISTORY OF BIRR. 5
O'Fogartaigh (O'Fogarty) were left in possession, but
subject to the Earl of Ormond."
In the Book of Rights the stipends to be paid by
the King of Caiseal (Cashel) to the King of Eile, are
thus mentioned :
" Eight steeds to the King of Eile of the gold,
Eight shields, eight swords are due,
Eight drinking-horns, to be used at the feast,
Eight coats of mail in the day of bravery."
agan,
" The stipend of the King of Eile of the gold
From the King of Caiseal of the banquets,
Six shields and six bright swords,
Six bondsmen, six bondswomen."
It thus appears that Ely was formerly celebrated
for gold. In the same valuable work we find :
" Entitled is the King of Eile, so it happens,
To (have) his country free as far as Sliabh Bladhma,
And unless whan he makes battles for himself, [king."
He is exempt from furnishing forces beyond each other
O'Heerin, who died in 1420, thus alludes to the
O'Carrolls, princes of Ely :
" Lords to whom great men submit,
Are the 0' Can-oils of the plain of Birr ;
Princes of Eile as far as tall Slieve Bloom,
The most hospitable land in Erin.
Eight districts and eight chiefs are ruled
By the prince of Ely of the land of herds ;
Valiant in enforcing their tributes,
Are the troops of the yellow-ringletted hair."
The war-cry of O'Carroll of Ely was Showeth-
aboe, and the arms of Sir Daniel O'Carroll, one of the
HISTORY OF BIRR.
.family, will be found in Dermot O'Connor's translation
i of Keating's History of Ireland.
We have already seen that the ancient Ely 0' Carroll
was in Munster; but to show beyond doubt that
the town of Birr was in past ages reckoned part
of Munster, we find Colgan has, " Birra Monas-
terium in Elia in Mumonia " Birr, a monastery in
Ely in Munster. In his History of Ireland, Keating
not only places it in Munster, but makes it part
of Ormond ; and according to the same historian, the
boundaries of ancient Meath reached the town of Birr,
in the reign of Tuathall Teachtmhar. This confirms
the fact already stated, that the river which flows
from Drumcullen through Birr, is the Abhan Chara
mentioned as part of the bounds of ancient Meath.
These bounds of ancient Meath are described as follows
in the translation of an old Irish Eann :
" From Lough-bo-deirg to Birr,
From the Shannon east to the sea,
To Cumar Chluana-Iraird,
And to Cumar Chluana-aird."
This Lough-bo-deirg, or Boderg (the lough of the
white cow), is near Carrick-on-Shannon.
It appears, from Comerford's and Keating's Histories
of Ireland, that the inhabitants of Ely of course
including the people of Birr were called into
public notice very early. Thus in the reign of
Fergus, surnamed Black-teeth, in the year 212,
Cormack the son of Art, had his beard set on fire, at
a -feast at Magh Breagh, by order of the King of
HISTORY OF BIRR. 7
Ulster ; and lie was banished from that province.
Cormack, upon this, applied for assistance to Thady,
grandson of Olliol Ollum, who had great authority in
Ely ; and Thady thereupon gathered his forces from
all parts of Ely, and marched to Ulster, where he
gained a complete victory. The reader will find a
full and interesting account of this in the works men-
tioned.
There is great reason to believe that previous to
the introduction of Christianity into the neighbour-
hood, there was adjoining Birr a place noted for
Druidic worship. In Birr parish, up to a compara-
tively recent time, there was a large limestone rock
supposed to be the stone known in the days of
Giraldus Cambrensis, as " the navel of Ireland."
Usher mentions that in his time a certain hollowed
stone used to be shown at Bin* as being " Umbilicus
Hibernia3" the navel of Ireland; and the Down
Survey Map, made in 1657, marks the site of the
old church of Birr, with the words " Umbilicus
Hiberniee."
It seems almost certain that the hollowed stone
which thus in days gone by gave a title to this
place, was one of those rude rocks to be found in
various parts of Ireland, which are plainly the
remains of religious rites. They probably served for
altars, and almost all of them have been found with
five bowl-shaped cavities which antiquarians call
Kock-basins. While yet famine, and other visita-
tions, had left a taste for that traditionary lore, which
8 HISTORY OP BIRR.
was so powerful a means of transmitting to our days
much of the knowledge we possess of the practices of
the pagan ritual ; the peasantry used to speak of this
description of stones as something which once was
reckoned sacred.
That the rock or stone of this description which
was heretofore at Seffin near Birr, was the stone
written of by Archbishop Usher, is extremely probable.
The place where it stood was not far from the town
of Birr, and both places are. in the parish of Birr.
The Seffin rock stood on a little eminence beyond
the present railway station, and at the same side
of the road. This stone was a huge rude mass
of limestone, marked with a number of incisions in
the shape of fantastic crosses and other curious
symbols, as usual, with stones of this description.
The people accounted for the number and shape of
these cavities, by saying they were the impression
of the thumb and four fingers of Fin MacCoul ; which
in itself was enough to show that this stone was the
subject of tradition. These were, however, without
doubt, mythic cavities ; and the stone itself was the
visible abode of the pagan deity, and also served as
an altar on which to sacrifize. In corroboration of
this view, we find the name of this townland now in
spelling and pronunciation Anglicized into Seffin
was spelled in old documents, Sheefin and Seefin,
which seem to be composed of two Irish words, jShee,
a spirit, and Fen, one of the names under which the
sun was worshipped. In fact the name signifies Sun-
HISTORY OF BIER. 9
Deity or Sun- God. There is also good reason to
know that the spot where this stone was placed was
formerly surrounded by woods, and it was therefore
just suited for Druidic worship. This Seffin stone was
carried away to the county Clare, by the late Thomas
Steele, Esq., in 1833.
Thus it seems it was even here, at the great stone
at Seffin afterwards called Umbilicus Hiberniae
the people of the neighbourhood of Birr were accus-
tomed to assemble for the worship of Fen or Phen
identical with Beal and Moloch, and with Ur of the
Chaldeans before the light of the Gospel dispelled the
darkness of Paganism ; and to St. Brendan the elder,
the early converts here were afterwards indebted for
the founding of a monastery in Birr, on the site of
which succeeded, in after times, the Church of this
parish.
CHAPTER II.
THE Patron Saint of Birr is known in the Irish
language by a name which is Latinized Brendanus
Biorra, and in English signifies Brendan of Birr.
This name also serves to distinguish him from St.
Brendan of Clonfert. He was even known as
"Biorra," on which account the Four Masters write
of some of his successors as " Sons of Biorra."
St. Brendan is said to have been son of Luaigene,
of a distinguished family in Minister, and is reckoned
by Colgan amongst the relations of St. Ercus of
Slane, and the descendants of Prince Corb, who
resided in that part of Munster, called the Decies,
now part of the county "Wat erf or d. 0' Flaherty
states that Corb-Aulam was son of Fergus, King of
Ireland, in the year of the world, 3937. St. Brendan
was born about the year of Christ, 500 ; and according
to Dr. Lanigan, he studied under St. Finian of
Clonard, in a manner that shows ho was highly
esteemed for his sanctity, and supernatural gifts.
He was even reckoned a prophet, and is thus men-
tioned in the Acts of St. Finian, " Brendanus Biorra^
qui propheta in Scholis ittis et etiam sanctorum Hiber-
niensium habebatur" We also find St. Brendan of
HISTORY OF BIRR. 11
Birr in the list of the writers of Ireland, and he is
thus referred to by "Ware, " To him (Brendan of
Clonfert), we may join, another Brendan, son of
Luaigne, Abbot of Birr, in the territory of Ely, now
part of the King's County, who died there the 29th
of November 572. Dempster in vain searches for
this place in modem Scotland. Brendan writ of the
virtues and praises of St. Cohimb, who was then
living."
It is not certain at what exact time St. Brendan
founded the monastery at Bin-, but it must have been
previous to the year 565, and, according to Lanigan,
it was prior to 549. It also appears from the same
writer, that it was St. Brendan of Bin- who advised
St. Columkill, "Columb of the Churches," to found
his celebrated monastery in the island of Hy or lona,
on the coast of Scotland; and which afterwards
became one of the chief burial places of the Scottish
Kings. The following, from St. Adamnan's Life of
Columkill written about A.D. 700 shows the
great respect in which St. Brendan of Birr was held,
and the authority he exercised in his time, even
amongst the clergy. A certain Synod (held at
Geashill, in the King's County), issued sentence of
excommunication against Columkill for some supposed
offence. On his arrival at the Synod, Brendan, who
had seen him at a distance, rose up, saluted him with
great respect, and embraced him. For this, some of
the clergy remonstrated, and Brendan replied to
them, "If you had seen what the Lord has been
12 HISTORY OF BIRR.
pleased to make manifest to me this day concerning
this elect of his whom you are dishonouring, you would
never have passed this sentence ; whereas the Lord
does not in any manner excommunicate him in virtue
of your wrong sentence, but rather exalts him more
and more." On their asking his meaning, he told
them that he saw a pillar of light advancing before
Columkill as he was coming there, and that angels
accompanied him over the plain, and, "Therefore,"
said he, "I dare not treat with contempt him whom I
see pre-ordained by God as a guide of nations to life."
Thereupon the censure was withdrawn, and the
whole Synod paid him the greatest respect. It
would be impossible to enter here into the many
interesting incidents related regarding the remarkable
friendship which existed between St. Brendan of Birr
and St. Columkill. St. Adamnan refers to St. Brendan
thus : " Brendanus illius monasterii fundator^ quod
Scotice Birr a nuncupatur"
A work like this could not be expected to go at
length into the life of such a celebrated Saint as
Brendan of Birr, who was even reckoned amongst
" The Twelve Apostles of Erin." In the appendix to
the Canons of St. Patrick is the following: "In
memoriam etiam redueit S. Brenanum Episcopum,
Birrensem qui colitur die 29 Novembris" from which
it appears that St. Brendan was also Bishop of Birr.
There is some difference amongst writers as to the
year in which St. Brendan died. It was on the 29th
of November, A.D. 571, according to some, while
HISTORY OP BIRR. 13
others place his death in the year 572. Archdali
states, from the Munster Annals, that he died in 565,
and relates from the same Annals a wonderful story
of his having lived to the age of 300 years. Keating
places Brendan's death about the year 550, and says
that some of the ancient records of the Kingdom
testify that he lived to the extraordinary age of nine
score years. He gives the following from an ancient
poet :
" Happy the man whom Providence preserves
To the long life of Breannian Biorra,
Who lived in plenty and prosperity
A hundred and eighty years, and then he died,
Lamented."
Comerford says that St. Brendan died in 551, one
hundred and eighty years old ; while the Annals of
Clonmacnoisc have at A.D. 562, "The ascension of
St. Brendan of Birr to the skies in his chariot or
coach." This ascension is compared by some to that
of Elijah; and we are also told that his departure
from this world was made known in a supernatural
manner to his friend St. Colurnkill, who was then at
Hy. It may be observed, however, that while writers
thus differ as to the exact date of the death or depar-
ture from this world of St. Brendan, and some of
them record very wonderful circumstances concerning
it, yet most of them agree in referring to the event
as having been a very remarkable and extraordinary
one. St. Brendan is commemorated by the Irish on
the 30th of November ; and, according to Colgan, he
lies buried in the Church named Tempul an Cheathuir
w *
A 1
14 HISTORY OF BIRR.
aluinn in the Great Isle of Arran, at the entrance of
the Bay of Galway. Colgan calls this the burial
place, " quatuor pulchrorum," that is, "of the four
beautifuls," of whom Brendan of Birr was one.
There is not now, nor has there been for many years
back, any trace remaining of St. Brendan's monastery
at Birr. The "Abbey of Birra " appears, however,
in the lists of the order of Eegular Canons of St.
Augustine.
\ It is very probable that St. Patrick passed through
\J$Birr while engaged in the conversion of the Irish ;
f? 1 for, according to Dr. Lanigan, he went from Terry-
, glass_ on the banks of the Shannon, to Lorha, and
v \* thence to Brusna ; the direct line between which
* latter places would pass near Birr. The reader will
find more as to this visit of St. Patrick, in the account
of Brusna further on.
It seems there were formerly at least four small
Dioceses in the neighbourhood of Birr. These were
Saiger or Seir Kyrans, Eoscrea, Craibhech or
Brusna, and Birr ; for St. Brendan was at times styled
Bishop, and Flaithnia, Abbot of Birr, was also called
Bishop of Biorra. The title Bishop was also given to
some of the Abbots of Lorah.
In the year 551, according to Comerford's Ireland,
the people of Birr, with the other inhabitants of Ely,
and the Ossorians, were defeated by Fiachach, the son
of Baodham, in the bloody battles of Eolla and For-
thela, which places are in the neighbourhood of Birr.
The Annals of Clonmacnoise refer this to the year
HISTORY OF EIRE. 15
569, and thus mention it : " The battle of Talo and
Fortalo, the names of two fields between Ely and
Ossarie, where Fiachra MacBoydan was victor."
This battle is stated by the Four Masters to have
taken place in the year 571, the year in which they
say St. Brendan departed, and both events are thus
recorded, as translated by Dr. O'Donovan: "The
age of Christ, 571. St. Breannainn, Abbot of Birra,
died on the 29th day of November. The battle of
Tola, by Fiachna, son of Baedan, son of Cairell, against
the (people of) Osraighe and Eile; and they were
defeated. Tola is the name of a plain between Clon-
fert Molua and Saigher." The Annals of Ulster
records this battle as having been fought in 572.
Tulla is still the name of a townland in the parish
of Kinnitty, King's County, on the way from Saiger
Church to the Gap of Glendine, which is a difficult,
but the only pass in this neighbourhood, through the
Sliebh Bloom mountains into the Queen's County and
Ossory, and to Clonfert Molua in that county. Tulla,
which is only a few miles from Birr, is situate there-
fore, just as Tola is described to be, between Saiger
and Clonfert Molua. The second place mentioned in
some of the accounts of this battle, and called For-
thela and Forthalo, is the same now named Fortel,
near Birr, and which is iu the same direction as Tulla,
and not very far from it. On the Down Survey Map,
made even so late as 1C57, Fortel is still called
Fortalla.
The following bishops and abbots, successors of St.
[6 HISTORY OF BIER.
Brendan of Birr, are mentioned by Mr. Archdall, or
in the Annals of the Four Masters, as also by other
writers. In the year 690, died St. Killian, Abbot,
and successor of St. Brendan; the Abbot MacNevil died
in 74-5 ; and in 760, died the Abbot Telactach, the
son of Sarfelad. The Abbot St. Lergal, surnamed
The Wise, the son of Nemet, died in 774 ; as did the
Abbot Joseph O'Foylan, also called The Wise, in the
year 785 ; and in 791, died Seanchan, Abbot of Birr
and Killoughy.
MacEiagail, the grandson of Maglen, a scribe, and
Bishop and Abbot of Birr, died in 820, or the follow-
ing year. He wrote a copy of the Gospels in quarto,
upon parchment. The book is of the Yulgate Edition,
having some variations from the common. The
orthography is Hibernic-Latin, and the work termi-
nates in the same Irish way as the Irish book Psalter-
na-Rann, namely: " Finit amen, Finit amen,
Finit." In the last page of it is: " Quicunque
legerit et intelligent istam narrationem, orat pro
Mac-Eeguil scriptori." This book, which is called
Codex RusworthianuS) was preserved in the library of
the Duke of Buckingham at Stowe ; the foregoing
account of it being taken from " Rerum Hibernicarum
Scrip tores Veteres" published at the expense of that
nobleman, and compiled by the Eev. Dr. O'Connor.
The Four Masters record that in the year 825, a
royal meeting took place at Birr, between Conchabhar,
son of Donchadh, King of Ireland, and Feidhlimidh,
son of Crimhthann, King of Munster. The Annals of
HISTORY OF BIRK. 17
Clonmacnoise have this meeting in 824 ; while the
Annals of Ulster state that in the year 826, there
was : " A kingly parlee at Byre between Felim and
Connor."
Birr was plundered three times in the year 833, by
Feidhlim MacCriomthan, the King of Munster. The
wealth of the place at that period may be judged of,
from its having been considered a worthy object for
royal plunder so often in the course of the same year.
Nor was it the Irish alone that considered it worth
notice, for the Four Masters mention under date
841 : " The plundering of Birr and Saigher by the
foreigners of the Boyne ; " meaning the Danes or
Ostmen. There is good reason to believe that these
two places suffered in a similar way the following
year.
In 842, the eleventh year of Niall, Dodin, Bishop
of Birr, died ; and in 851 the seventh year of
Maelseachlainn died Flaithnia, son of Conghall,
Bishop and Abbot of Birr.
About the year 852, there was exhibited at Birr
an example of that fatal domestic contention, in
which the Irish were always unfortunately engaged,
when a foreign enemy was to be opposed. In that
year, during the strife between the Danes and Norwe-
gians, Avho had then recently landed in Ireland,
Feidhlim, King of Munster and Archbishop of Cashel,
who has been already referred to, having received
some provocation from the Northern part of the king-
dom, entered the country, and, beginning at Birr,
B
18 HISTORY OF BIRR.
plundered the inhabitants thence to Tara; where
he met much opposition, which he at length over-
came.
In 857, died Ailill Banbhan, Abbot of Birr.
Carthach, Abbot of Birr, died in 885 ; and the Abbot
Moran-na-Buidhe, died in 891, "at an advanced age
and after a good life." In 923, died the Abbot
Bohine ; and in 928, the Abbot Baithen died.
A battle was fought at Birr in the year 949. The
Four Masters have it thus : " A victory was gained
over the Ui Failge, at Birra, where many were slain,
together with Cinaeth Cruach." They also record
that Cormac, Comorb of St. Brendan of Birr, and son
of Congaltach, died in 989.
The troops of Ely, commanded by their chieftain,
0' Carroll, as appears from good authority, including
Dr. Lanigan, fought in 1014, under the celebrated
Brian-Borombhe, at the memorable battle of Clontarf,
which ended in the total defeat of the Danes. They
fought in that division which was commanded by
Cian and Donald, two princes of the Eugenian line ;
and which was opposed to the second division of the
enemy.
Cellach Eamhar, or the Lusty, died in 1079. He
was Comorb of St. Brendan of Birr, and Bishop of
Saiger. St. Silave, or Silan, Abbot of Birr, died at
Lucca, in Italy, in the year 1100.
In 1121, Turlogh, son of Roderick O'Connor, King
of Ireland, invaded Munster with a numerous army ;
and, according to O'Halloran, u he encamped near
HISTORY OF BIKl;. 19
Birr ; " and, after spending some time there, he
again u decamped from Birr in the middle of
February 1122."
A great sacrilege was committed at Birr in 1154,
by the killing of Amhleoimbh O'Hendersgeol, King
of Cathlnighe, at the church door. Cathluighe was
a territory of South Munster. Birr was burned in
1167 ; and the Annals of Boyle record that, in 1170,
a synod called "The Synod of Birr," was held
there.
In the year 1174, Kughry O'Carroll, "King of
Ely," was slain by his brother, in Inis Clothrann, in
the river Shannon.
CHAPTER III.
SOME time previous to the year 1200, King Henry
II. bestowed the country of the O'Carrolls, with the
neighbouring territory of the O'Meaghers, O'Kennedys,
O'Fogartys, and others, on Philip de Worcester and
Theobald Fitzwalter. King John, however, notwith-
standing this, sold the same territories to William de
and other adventurers, about the year 1200,
for 4,000 marks of silver. In consequence of this,
Fitzwalter, with the help of his brother, Hubert,
Archbishop of Canterbury, compounded with Braosa
for his own part which included Ely 0' Carroll by
paying him 500 marks ; and the bargain was signed
atjjincoln in presence of the King. Previous to this,
Fitzwalter had been appointed Grand Butler of Ire-
land, in the lifetime of King Henry II. ; from which
office his descendants have taken the name of Butler,
^which they retain to the present time. From it they
also acquired the three covered cups on their armorial
escutcheon.
Having thus again obtained possession of Birr and
the rest of Ely 0' Carroll, this Theobald Walter, or
Fitzwalter, in the reign of King John, granted part of
the former described in the deed as, "Yillam de
Birre," by military tenure to Hugh de Hose, or Hussy,
HISTORY OF BTRR. 21
ancestor to the titular Barons of Galtrim ; and the
right to the place continued to be disputed between
that family and the O'Carrolls, the ancient pro-
prietors, until the plantation of Ely 0' Carroll in the
reign of King James I. The exact time of this grant
of Birr from Walter to Hussy cannot be ascertained,
as it was not usual to date ancient deeds ; but from
different circumstances, it appears to have been about
the year 1200. The war-cry of Hussy of Galtrim
was Cor-deragh-aboe, which is explained as, "The
Cause of the great Cast ; " being in allusion to an
action of one of them, in the reign of Edward II.,
who, at the battle of Athenry, single-handed, engaged
and killed 'Kelly and his squire, the story of which
is related in Lodge's Peerage, and in Hollinshed's
Chronicle of Ireland.
In the year 1205, 0' Carroll, Lord of Ely, was
slain by the English. In 1207, according to the
Annals of Clonmacnoise, " Moriertagh Mac Bryen
an Sleyve besieged the castle of Byrre, and at last
burnt the whole town ; " and, again, " the castle of
Kinnetty, the castle of Byrre, and the castle of Lothra
were broken down and quite destroyed by the said
Murtagh O'Bryan." An Sleyve means, " of the moun-
tain; " that is, Tuatharra, in the County Tipperary.
In 1213, the English went to Athlone where they
iTected a castle, and "they also erected the castle of
Kinnetty, the castle of Bin-, and the castle of Durrow."
Dr. O'Donovan from whose edition of the Four Masters
this is taken states in a note, that the Annals of Clon-
22 HISTORY OF BIRR.
macnoise, as translated by Oonnell Mageoghagan, were
more correct in saying of this occasion, that the
English " finished and aided the castles of Dorrowe,
Byrre, and Kynnety." It has been seen that the
former castles of Byrre and Kinnetty were destroyed
by O'Bryen five years before.
Sioda M l Namara, who died in the year 1311, be-
queathed his body to Breanan, and was interred at
Gill Breanan at Birr, as we learn from Mr. Archdall.
The MacNamaras were chieftains of Muighaghan, a
territory of Thomond, in the now barony of Bunratty
and County of Clare. They were called Mac-con-
Maras, and were a family of much note ; and it shows
the respect and veneration in which St. Brendan and
his monastery were held, to find a member of such a
family providing for his interment in Cill Breanan, so
far from his native place.
In a poem addressed to Eoghan O'Madden, chief of
Siol Anmcha, part of the County Galway, with Lus-
magh, in the present King's County, who died in
1347 ; the bard calls him " The Lion of Biorra." The
reader will find this mentioned more at length in the
reference to Cloghan Castle hereafter.
In the year 1346, O'Carroll was slain in Ely by the
Ossorians; and in 1383, Joan, the sister of James, the
third Earl of Arran, who was married to Teige
O'Carroll, Prince of Ely, died of the plague. Not-
withstanding this tic by marriage, the Earl in 1399,
took prisoner his brother-in-law, O'Carroll, who after-
wards continued in custody until the year 1407 ; when,
HISTORY OF BIRR. 2o
having effected his escape from prison, he was slain by
the Lord Deputy Scrope.
In 1396, Thady O'Carroll, Lord of Ely, being
about to abdicate worldly affairs, he was prevented by
his people of Ely, and by the Irish Lords of Eastern
Munster. In the same year he set out to pay his
devotions in Rome to the successor of St. Peter, and
on his return, was honourably received by the King
in England.
A great war broke out in 1432 between O'Carroll,
Lord of Ely, and the Earl of Ormond ; during which
the Earl marched at the head of a great army into
Ely, which he ravaged ; and he demolished O'Carroll' s
two castles. The Four Masters who record these
events do not give the names of the castles so
demolished, but it is probable they were the castles of
Birr and Leinyvanane, which were the principal
castles then belonging to O'Carroll.
A dreadful plague raged in the summer and har-
vest of 1447, as the Four Masters tell us ; and of
which, among many others, died Hussy, Baron of
Galtrim, who claimed Bin* under the grant to his
ancestor already mentioned. It was said by some
that 700 priests died of this plague.
About the year 1460, according to Mageoghagan,
the English Pale was compelled to pay tribute to the
Irish chieftains ; and amongst the rest, the Counties
of Kilkenny and Tipperary paid O'Carroll forty livres
yearly. The Annals of Ulster and the Four Masters
record the death in 1489, of the Carroll, John, son
24 HISTORY OF BIEfi.
of Mailruanaigh 0' Carroll, Lord of Ely. It seems
his death gave occasion to the contest for the chief-
tainship of the sept, 'which followed between Tiege
and William O'Carroll.
As the Earl of Kildare, then Lord Deputy, was
proceeding in 1513, on an expedition against O'Carroll
of Ely, he fell sick at Athy on his journey, and return-
ing to Kildare, he died there.
While the right to Birr was disputed with the
Hussys by the O'Carrolls, a difference arose between
the members of that sept ; Fergananim, that is, " the
man without a name," O'Carroll assuming the right
to the country to himself. It may be more interesting
to give from the Four Masters, as translated by Pro-
fessor Connellan, the following account of what occurred
at Birr in the year 1532 : " O'Carroll, i.e., Maol-
roona, the most distinguished man of his tribe for
renown, valour, prosperity, and excellence, to whom
poets, travellers, ecclesiastics, and literary men were
most thankful, and who gave most entertainment, and
bestowed more presents than any other who lived of
his lineage, died ; he who was the supporting mainstay
of all persons ; the rightful, victorious rudder of his
race; the powerful young warrior in the march of
tribes ; the active, triumphant champion of Munster ;
a precious stone, a carbuncle gem ; the anvil of
knowledge, and the golden pillar of the Elyans, he
died in his own fortress, on the festival-day of St.
Matthew, the Evangelist, and his son Fearganainm was
appointed his successor. On the same day, before the
fllSTORY OF BIRR. 25
death of Maolroona, his sons defeated the Earl of
Ormond and the sons of John 0' Carroll, and took from
them many horses and some ordnance, which were
called Fabcnin, from which followed the name Bel-
atha-na-bh Fabcun to the ford where they gained that
battle, and that was Maolroona's last victory. Fer-
gana inm, as we have mentioned, was nominated the
0' Carroll over his seniors, namely, the sons of John
0' Carroll, on account of which great troubles arose
in the country, for the sons of John, in the first place,
took the castle of Birr, from which they continued to
spoil the country ; the son of the parson 0' Carroll fell
by the son of 0' Carroll, i.e., Teige Caoch, on the plain
of Birr, in consequence of which, 0' Carroll, i.e., Fer-
ganainm, brought his relative by marriage, the Earl
of Kildare, Lord Justice of Ireland, to attack the sons
of John, and they took the castle of Killurin, Caislean-
na-Hegailse, and the castle of Ballindooney; they
then encamped in the house of the son of Biorra (the
monastery of Birr), and continued skirmishes were
carried on between them and the guards of the castle,
until the Earl received a ball in his side, which was fired
from the castle, when they stormed the castle and took
it ; the Earl then returned, but the ball continued
lodged in him until the following spring, when it came
out on the other side. It was to record the death of
Maolroona 0' Carroll the following was composed :
" One thousand and five hundred,
And two and thirty years,
From the birth of Christ who saved us,
To the harvest in which O'Carroll died."
26 HISTORY OF BIRR*
It is related in Ware's Annals, that on the Earl
being thus wounded in his attack on Birr castle, a
common soldier standing near him said, " My Lord,
why do you sigh so ? I myself was thrice shot with
bullets, and yet am whole;" to which the Earl
sharply replied, " I wish you had received the fourth
in my stead." ft is said this wound gave the Earl's
health a shock from which he never recovered. This
Earl of Kildare had one of his daughters married to
Ferganainm 0' Carroll, and the other to Bryan
O'Conor of Offaley, which connexions were the
ground of some of the charges afterwards brought
against the Earl, when confined in the Tower of
London, by Henry VIII.; for, by the Statute of
Kilkenny, it was deemed treason for persons of
English descent to intermarry with the Irish. The
Castle of Killurin, above-mentioned, is in the parish
Geashill, King's County ; Caislean-na-Hegailse is
the Castle of Eglish ; and Ballindoony is the present
Ballindown, both these last-named places being in the
^ neighbourhood of Birr.
In June 1537, according to Mageoghagan, Lord
Leonard Grey, then Lord Deputy, took the castles of
Eglish, Birr, and Modereny ; and, as appears by the
Annals of Boyle, he took at same time the castles of
Modrymore and Broghill. The same year we find
0' Carroll, Chieftain of Ely, in Dublin, making submis-
sion to Lord Grey ; but, notwithstanding this submis-
sion, it seems one of the accusations against Lord
Grey, when he was afterwards beheaded, was his
HISTORY OF BIRR. 27
having favoured the outrages said to have been com-
mitted by Ferganainm O'Carroll. Thus, within a few
years, at least two Lord Deputies got into trouble
owing to their intimacy with the O'Carrolls.
In 1539, a treaty was entered into between Ferga-
nainm O'Carroll and King Henry YIIL This
treaty, by which 0' Can-oil was acknowledged as
Chief of Ely O'Carroll, was entitled, "Concordia
facta inter Eegem et O'Karroll, Capitaneum patriee
Ely O'Karroll." A copy of it is given in Sir William
Betham's Irish Antiquarian Researches. By this
treaty O'Carroll undertook for himself and successors
to pay a tribute for Ely O'Carroll ; with 120 marks
on the nomination of each person as " The
O'Carroll." He likewise stipulated to furnish certain
forces for the King, for a given time each year ; and
to facilitate the passage of Deputy Lord Leonard
Grey, with his forces, through Ely O'Carroll, when
required.
In the year 1541, Ferganainm 0' Can-oil was
treacherously slain in the castle of Clonlis. (See
more as to this in the account of Clonlisk castle).
By an agreement entered into in 1548, as Mageogh-
agan tells us, by Thady O'Carroll, (known by the
name of one-eyed), with the Lord Chevelier, William
Brabazon, Birr, together with the rest of his country,
was charged by Thady with an annual tribute, pay-
able into the Exchequer ; and he likewise obliged
himself to keep a certain number of troops, as well
cavalry as infantry, for the King's service ; and he at
28 HISTORY OF BIRR.
length delivered the whole country of Ely 0' Carroll
into the hands of King Edward VI.; who, by
Letters Patent, restored it to him with the title of
Lord Baron of Ely. Of the truth of the latter part of
this statement there is a doubt raised by an eminent
antiquarian (Ware's Annals), who says : " It was
reported, that in 1552, being the sixth year of the
reign of King Edward VI., Thadeus 0' Carroll was
created Baron of Ely, but that he could not find
it recorded although it was certain that he was chief
lord of Ely, at that time." It is well authenticated
that in 1548, the English were completely routed out
of 0' Carroll's country, and thereupon 0' Carroll again
secured himself in Birr, notwithstanding the grant by
King John, to Theobald "Walter, and the grant by the
latter to Hussey, as already mentioned.
Thadeus 0' Carroll afterwards joined MacMorough
Cavanagh, O'Birne, and others in endeavouring to
procure foreign aid against the English. He was
slain by Cahir 0' Carroll, who succeeded him as Baron
of Ely ; and this Cahir in his turn, fell in the year
1554, by the sword of William Oder O'Carroll of the
same family. The latter made himself master of the
country of Ely O'Carroll, of which he kept possession
for four years.
In 1557, William O'Carroll presided over the town
of Birr with the rest of Ely O'Carroll, having been
made governor thereof by Royal Patent, after he had
subscribed to the following conditions, viz : To fight
for the King and Queen of England, and their succes-
HISTORY OF BIRR. 29
sors, and to send the Queen (Mary) a certain number
of horse and foot on any necessary expeditions. The
Earl of Sussex, on his going to England, obliged this
O'Carroll and others, including O'Molloy of Fearcall,
O'Duinne of Hy -Began, Mac-Coghlan of Delvin, and
the two O'Maddens of Silanchia, to give hostages for
their good behaviour ; but having come to an open
rupture with the English in the year following,
"William O'Carroll was overcome by them in a battle ;
and having made his escape, Teige O'Carroll was put
in the governorship in his stead, by the Lord Deputy
and Council.
In this same year (1557), the Earl of Essex having
subdued the O'Moores and O'Conors, the two most
powerful septs in Leinster, and who held the terri-
tories of Leix and Offaley, he caused an Act of Par-
liament, to be passed in the third and fourth years of
the reign of Philip and Mary, by which these
countries and the adjoining districts of Slewmarg,
Irry, and Glenmallery were made into shire ground.
They since form the King and Queen's Counties,
Offaley, which was part of the Glenmallery, having
been called the King's County. The fort which had
been established at Dingen, in Offaley, by Lieutenant
Francis Bryan, who had erected a castle there soon
after the place was granted to him in 1548, was by
the same Statute named Philipstown, which name it
still retains, and until comparatively late years it
was the capital town of the King's County. (See
more as to Philipstown in the reference to Offaley
30 HISTORY OF BIRR.
hereafter). These two counties, thus formed, were the
first made in Ireland since the days of King John,
but Ely 0' Carroll and Birr were not included in the
King's County, as then formed, nor in the commission
and return a few years afterwards, in the third year of
the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1560), limiting the
bounds of the King's and Queen's Counties. On the
other hand, however, it appears that in part of
Elizabeth's reign, there were included in the King's
County, places which are not within the present
bounds of that County.
Although Ely 0' Carroll and Birr were not included
in the King's County, as thus originally formed in
the time of Lord Essex, it appears from a letter of
Lord Sidney, to the Lords of the Council, dated at
Waterford, the 16th December 1575, and contained
in Sidney's State Papers, that the attention of
Sidney was then directed to the subject. In this
letter, after giving an account of the King and
Queen's Counties, he says : " And here I thought fit
to remember likewise, Ely, or O'Carroll's Country,
though the same be of the Province of Munster, yet
adjoining in land and neighbourhood to the countries
before mentioned."
"We are indebted to a note to O'Donovan's transla-
tion of the Four Masters, for a copy of the Surrender
of Ely O'Carroll, dated " the 8th day of March, Anno
Domini 1576," less than three months after the
writing of Lord Sidney's letter, "Betwyxte Sir Henry
Sidney, Knight, Lorde Deputy of Ireland, for and on
HTSTOHY OF BIRR. 31
behalfe of the Queenes most excellent Majestic of thone
parte ; and Sir William O'Kerroll of Lcmyvanan in
the countrie called Elye O'Kerroll, and now to be
made parcell of the King's County," and some thirty-
six others, whose names are given as being "in the
said countrie, freeholders, of the other part." The
reader will find a copy of this surrender (No. 1) in
Appendix; and Dr. O'Donovan says the original is
enrolled in the record branch of the office of Pay-
master of Civil Services. Notwithstanding the
statement in this surrender that Ely 0' Carroll was
then to be made part of the King's County, this does
not appear to have been done for several years after-
wards ; for there is enrolled a commission, dated 7th
of March, in the second year of the reign of James I.,
(1604), for annexing the territory of Ely O'Carroll
to the King's County, pursuant to the Statute of
Philip and Mary, in consequence of the robberies, and
outrages committed there, with impunity, by reason
of its not having been shire ground.
Whatever may have been the view of the Lord
Deputy in obtaining this surrender from Sir William
O'Carroll in 1576, it is manifest O'Carroll was a
man of dissolute habits, and that his object in making
such surrender, was to secure the territory afterwards
for some one of his four illegitimate, or " base " sons,
to the exclusion of those who would otherwise have
lawfully succeeded him. A perusal of this surrender
at the present day is interesting, as it gives the names
of thirty-six of the Irish proprietors, who, nearly
32 HISTORY OF BIRR.
300 years ago, held the territory now comprising the
baronies of Ballybritt and Clonlisk, in the King's
County. Many, if not all of these ancient names,
may now appear strange to modern ears ; but more
strange still would be the scenes and changes, could
these thirty-six old proprietors or " freeholders " now
return and claim their former possessions.
The Four Masters state that in the year 1579,
" Conal Buighe, the son of Gillpatrick, son of Pierce
0' Moore, was slain at Birr in the territory of Ely, and
it was better that he was killed, for it was to plunder
the town that he had come."
In 1580, Lord Grey, reinforced with 150 cavalry
and six companies of infantry, sent him from England,
overran the territories of Offaley, Fearcall, Kinelyagh,
and Ely. According to Camden and Mageoghegan,
he "pacified," amongst others, the O'Carrolls of Ely;
and he caused O'Molloy, Lord of Fearcall, to be put
to death as a seditious person. As to Fearcall and
O'Molloy, see hereafter.
In the year 1581, William Odhar O'Carroll, the son
of Ferganainm, who had been confined in Dublin, was
liberated by the Lord Justice ; and on his way home,
he was attacked by some of the young O'Connors of
Offaley, who were dissatisfied at his release, and who,
therefore, as the Four Masters state, " slew him at
once, and left his body exposed to the claws of wolves
and ravens.'' His son, John an Fhasaigh, was ap-
pointed the O'Carroll, and it appears from the same
writers, that in 1582, the year following,, this John
HISTORY OF BIKR. 33
0' Carroll (i was with abominable and unprofitable
treachery slain by Mulroona, son of Teige Caoch, son
of Ferganainm ; but Mulroona, however, did not long
survive that murder, for he himself came by his death
in three months after, having been slain by a relative,
namely, Calvagh, the son of William Odhar, and
Calvagh himself was nominated to succeed his
brother."
In April 1585, this Calvagh O'Carroll attended the
Parliament convened at Dublin by Sir John
the Lord Deputy. At this Parliament there also
assisted many other Irish chieftains of territories
about Ely O'Carroll, as Donal O'Madden of Siol
Anmcha, Conal O'Molloy of Fearcall, and John
MacCoghlan of Delviu Eathra. It is said that the
independence displayed by this Irish Parliament
showed a very favourable contrast to the fawning
servility of the English Parliament in this and the
])n 'ceding reigns. Calvagh, or Calvach, O'Carroll was
slain, according to the Four Masters, in the month of
July 1600, "by some inferior gentlemen of the
O'Carrolls and O'Meaghers ; " and they add that
" Calvach was a warlike, defending man, and a strong
arm against his English and Irish neighbours ; he
was a Knight by title and honour, by authority of
his Sovereign."
It appears from Morrison's Ireland, that in April
1600, the Lord Deputy Mountjoy commanded the
O'Carrolls to invade the O'Molloys, who were their
neighbours in the district of IVarcall. Sir Charles
c
34 HISTORY OF EIRE.
0' Carroll is named in the Muster Eoll of the same
Lord Deputy dated 26th March 1600 as command-
ing 100 infantry in the Province of Leinster ; while
Captain Mulroony 0' Carroll is named as commanding
100 foot in O'Carroll's country, in the November of
the same year ; and he is also mentioned as command-
ing a like number of men in 1601, and again in April
1602.
A short description of Ely 0' Carroll, given by
John Dimmock, in his Treatise on Ireland, about the
year 1600, and published by the Irish ArchsBological
Society, will be found (No. 2) in the Appendix. In
it Dimmock states that Ely " hath small piles of little
importance, the chief est whereof is Limwaddon."
This is Lemivanane, now Leap. The other chief
castles then in Ely were Birr, Clonlisk, Dunkerrin
now Frankfort Emil, and Cullenwaine ; as to which
places, see further on in this work.
CHAPTEE IV.
UPON the Inquisition taken under the Commission for
the plantation of Ely 0' Carroll dated the 30th of
September, in the tenth year of the reign of King
James I. (1612), Teige M'Callach O'Carroll was
found to be in possession of two third parts of a plow-
land in the town of Birr, amounting to ninety-four
acres after deductions ; but, at the time of the planta-
tion, Lord Viscount Thurles, on behalf of his father,
the Earl of Ormond, informed the Commissioners that
said Teige had granted his interest to the Earl, and
then held at a rent as the Earl's tenant ; and Teige
disclaimed any other title. In like manner 600 acres
were also granted elsewhere in lieu of the Baron of
Galtrim's interest under his ancient grant from Theo-
bald Walter, and the entire town having thus
become at the disposal of the Lord Deputy and Com-
missioners they set it down for the son of Sir William
Irwin, to whom it was accordingly assigned. Irwin
was afterwards entreated by Lord Chancellor Loftus
to accept of his plot in another place, which he agreed
to do, and Birr was thereupon assigned by the Com-
mittee to Mr. Robert Meredith.
In the beginning of the seventeenth century, Sir
36 HISTORY OF BIRR.
William Parsons, Knight, an Englishman, was Surveyor
General, and Commissioner of Escheated Estates in
Ireland. Some Irish historians, as Taaffe and War-
ner, do not give favourable accounts of Sir William
Parsons, or the means by which, as they allege, he
obtained his position. It is certain, at all events, that
as Surveyor General and Commissioner of Escheated
Lands in these troubled times, Sir William Parsons
had great influence, and ample opportunity of provid-
ing for himself, his relations and friends.
Sir William Parsons had a brother named Laurence,
who, in 1620, was joined with him in the offices of
Surveyor General and the Court of Wards. Mr.
Laurence Parsons was knighted by the Lord Deputy
St. John, and afterwards, on the 19th of May 1624,
he was appointed second Baron of the Court of Ex-
chequer in Ireland.
By virtue of the Commission for the plantation of
Longford and Ely, a considerable extent of land was
granted to Mr. Laurence Parsons, in the reign of
King James I. The reader will find (No. 3) in the
Appendix, the names of the thirty-nine persons to
whom grants of land in Longford and Ely O'Carroll
were then made. The names of these " undertakers "
afford a great contrast to the thirty- six names of Irish
proprietors or "freeholders" of Ballybritt and Clon-
lisk baronies, mentioned in the surrender by O'Carroll
in 1575, just forty-five years before. Amongst the
"undertakers," we have Mr. Laurence Parsons and
five more for 1,000 acres each, with several captains
HISTORY OP BIRR. 37
and lieutenants, each for some 100 acres of Irish land.
John Beere, "our late servant's son," was granted 500
acres. "Sergeant Hodges" had 300 acres. Bryan Q
M'Connell, " footman to our son," was granted 200
acres ; and Henry Piers, " soldier," had the same. It
appears from these last-mentioned grants, that neither
respectability of family, education, or public service
was necessary to secure a grant of Irish land when
Ely 0' Carroll was being " planted."
It is clear, however, that the Inquisition taken in
the tenth year of King James I. was not supposed to
confer upon the crown a sufficient title in Ely
0' Carroll. Accordingly, by a Statute passed in the
tenth year of the reign of Charles I., it was enacted
that, " the king, his heirs, and successors, should be
adjudged to be rightfully seized of a good estate in
fee-simple, and in the actual and real possession in
right of the Crown of England and Ireland, of the
several countries commonly known by the names of
Ely O'Carroll, alias O'Carroll's country ; Fercal, alias
Mulloy's country ; Kilcoursev. alias Fox, his country :
Delvin MacCoghlan, alias MacCoghlan^s country in the
King's County." It seems from the foregoing, that the ^ ^ \
" undertakers " of these days not only enjoyed a
monopoly of the "grants," but they also had the
advantage of being able to get bad titles converted ^ -*.
into good ones.
The plantation of 1,000 acres then allotted to Sir
Laurence Parsons being well situated, the Lord
Chancellor took a liking to it, and prevailed upon him
38 HiSTOHY Of J3IRK.
to exchange it for the town of Birr. The order for
giving Sir Laurence possession of Birr is dated the
22nd of June 1620 ; and by the letters patent, dated
26th of the same month, it appears that Birr must
have been then looked on as of considerable military
importance ; for it is there described as the castle and
fort village and land of Birr. It was by the same
letters patent erected into the manor of Parsonstown ;
and on the 7th of July following, the High Sheriff,
Captain Francis Acland, removed the former proprie-
tors, and put Sir Laurence Parsons into possession,
in presence, as his return states, of Hobert Dillon,
Teige M'Dough O'Carroll of Eathmore, Phillip
O'Dwiggan, John Dalton, who was Sub-Sheriff, Gre-
gory O'Dullahan, John Maynaghan, Cullogh Fitz-
patrick, Eichard Evans, William Dalton, John Taylor,
and John Forde. In these letters patent are also
included the lands of Ballindarragh and Bealaneale,
otherwise Cappineale, with several other lands, includ-
ing the castle, town, and lands of Clonoughill, but
excepting the castle and bawn and a portion of the
lands of Ballindarragh.
Almost immediately after getting the possession of
Birr, Sir Laurence Parsons commenced to build and
make other improvements there, at considerable
expense. On the 23rd of November 1620, he obtained
a grant of a Tuesday-market, and two fairs to be held in
Birr on the festivals of St. Mark and St. Andrew; and
afterwards, on the 27th of April 1627, he obtained a
grant from the Crown of a Saturday-market and two
HISTORY OP BIRR. 39
additional fairs to be held on the 1st of February and
15th of August, which two last -mentioned fairs,
owing to the change of the style, now fall upon the
llth of February and 25th of August. The other two
fairs are now held on the 6th of May and 10th of
December.
In the same month of November 1620, Sir
Laurence sent his steward, Francis Morley, after-
wards clerk of the subsidies, to put the castle at Birr
in fit order for his reception, and the country was
then so wild and uncivilized, that Morley was obliged
to employ a guide to conduct him to the neighbouring
village of Portumna, for which, and his own expenses
on the journey, he charged Sir Laurence five shillings
and eightpence of the then currency, as appeared by
his account book, which in 1826 was still in the
possession of the then Earl of Eosse.
The prices of provisions, work, and materials for
building in Birr, in the end of 1620, and beginning of
1621, were, according to this account book, as follows:
A labourer received from sixpence to eightpence a
day ; a man and horse, one shilling a day ; a mason,
one and fourpence ; mason work by the perch, two
shillings and sixpence ; ditto, finding materials, six
shillings and eightpence ; plastering, three farthings
per yard ; hewing stones for coins and corbels, two-
pence halfpenny per fodt ; wainscoting, one shilling
and threepence a yard, and two shillings and sixpence
the border; iron, two shillings a stone; shoeing a horse,
fourpence a shoe ; gunpowder, one shilling and six-
40 HISTORY OF BIRR.
pence per pound ; a mutton, three shillings and
fourpence ; a quarter of be'ef, four shillings and
sixpence ; butter, threepence halfpenny a pound ;
oats, three shillings and fourpence the barrel ; hops,
one shilling a pound; a quart of sack wine, one
shilling ; a quart of claret, sixpence ; a quart of
aqua vitas, one shilling and fourpence.
Shortly after Sir Laurence had been put into pos-
session of Birr, Teige M'Callagh O'Carroll, the repre-
sentative of the ancient proprietors, petitioned the
King, setting forth that Birr belonged to him, and
praying to be re-instated. However, this and a second
memorial to the same purpose not having produced
the wished for effect, he a third time petitioned, refer-
ring to his former memorials, and stating that he was
seized of this place, and that it was enjoyed by his
ancestors for upwards of one thousand years; and
praying that it might be peremptorily referred to the
Master of the Eequests to re-instate him in Birr, which
he called his chief seat. Thereupon the King had the
petition transmitted on the 16th of July 1622, to
Lord Viscount Falkland, then Lord Deputy of Ire-
land ; and it was by him. referred to his Majesty's
Surveyor General of Lands in Ireland (Sir William
Parsons), who, on the 17th of October following,
reported thereon, setting forth the title of the
Baron of Galtrim, and of the Earl of Ormond, as
already mentioned ; and he ultimately decided against
the pretensions of O'Carroll as unfounded. _ The
Surveyor General also stated in his report, that Sir
HISTORY OF BIRR. 41
Laurence Parsons had then built on the premises at a
very great expense. Whether the claim then made
by him was well founded or not, it is in no way
strange that this Teige M'Callagh 0' Carroll did not
succeed in his petition against Sir Laurence Parsons,
when such success depended upon the report of the
Surveyor General, Sir William Parsons, the brother
of the person complained against.
Very soon after the grant of Birr to Sir Laurence
Parsons in 1620, several persons took leases from
him. In the Appendix (No. 4) will be found a list
of these tenants taken from a Eental in the hand-
writing of Sir Laurence Parsons. This list is
interesting, as it gives the names of some sixty
persons who had leases in Birr about 250 years ago.
These names are neither all Irish, as those of the
"freeholders," given in the copy surrender of Ely
0' Carroll in 1576, nor are they all English, as the
" undertakers," to whom land in Ely 0' Carroll was
granted on the "plantation." The Bin* lessees appear
to have been mixed, many having old Irish names,
and others being clearly English. As far as can be
judged by names, there are not in Birr in late years
many descendants of these original lessees, either
Irish or English.
It appears from an entry in the same rental, that
on the 9th of October 1623, Sir Laurence Parsons
made a lease to Abraham Bigo, of the " castle, town,
and part of the plow-land of Clonoghill ; with a pro-
viso that the tenant was "not to set up any glass
42 HISTORY OP BIRR.
house or glass work on any other land, or buy wood
of any other for his glass work, but only of said
Laurence Parsons." This lease also contained a
covenant that said Bigo should within a year build a
stone or brick chimney to the castle, from which it
appears that Clonoghill castle had no chimney
previous to that time.
The Bigo family were Huguenots who had fled from
Lorraine. More full information as regards this
family will be found in the account of Banagher here-
after. The Bigo family were skilled in the manufac-
ture of glass, and the Birr glass-works appear to have
quickly attained importance under their care, for
these glass-works are alluded to in Boate and Moly-
neux's Natural History of Ireland, which, after
mentioning that several glass-houses had been set up
in Ireland, by the English, says : " Amongst the
principal was that of Birre, a market town, otherwise
Parsonstown, after one Sir Laurence Parsons. From
this place Dublin was furnished with all sorts of
window and drinking glasses, and such other as are
commonly in use. One part of the materials, viz., the
sand, they had out of England ; the other, to wit, the
ashes, they made in the place of ash tree, and used no
other. The chiefest difficulty was to get the clay for
the pots to melt the materials in. This they had out
of the north." These glass-works appear to have been
carried on from 1623 to Easter 1627, when the lease
was surrendered. The remains of an ancient glass-
house, with parts of crucibles and fragments of glass,
HISTORY OF BIRR. 43
were discovered some years ago at Clonbrone, adjoin-
ing Clonoghill, and not far from Birr, and which
seems to have been the glass-house alluded to.
Clonoghill Castle was burned in the year 1642 by the
Irish, and the ruins are yet to be seen in Syngefield
demesne, about half-a-mile from Birr.
There also appears to have been a fishing weir, of
some importance in these early times, on the Little
Brusna river, close to Birr, at the part of Cappaneal
called Tircoragh, meaning, "the district of the weir,"
or "the weir district," from tir, a district, and cora, a
weir. It appears from the rental already alluded to
that this fishing weir was leased by Sir Laurence
Parsons, the 4th of June 1621, to Thomas Teigh and
Philip Trady, for six years. It also appears, however,
that this weir was subsequently " plucked down by a
presentment of the Grand Jury and order of the Lord
Justices, at Lent Assizes 1623."
About this time there were likewise two grist
mills at Birr, for there appears to have been a lease
of them, made to Francis Morley the 18th of July
1623 ; and in the inquisition post mortem on Sir
Laurence Parsons, who died in 1628, it is stated that
at this period there were five water mills at Birr.
One of these was distinguished even then, as " the
Old Mill ; " and in these times the part of the present
Chapel Lane, adjoining the river, and near the mill-
pond and mill, went by the name of Lough-cora,
which means, the lough at the weir.
The ancient castle of the O'Carrolls at Birr was
44 HISTORY OF BIER.
called the "Black Castle." ^ It stood about sixty
yards north-west of the present castle, on the edge of
the high ground over the river, and the principal
tower, which was very high, was erected on an arti-
ficial mound of earth. This ancient pile has been long
since demolished, and when standing, contained the
dungeon of the fortification. There was a lawn or
enclosure around it, the walls of which were repaired
by Sir Laurence Parsons in 1620-21, when he also
had an additional tower, about forty-six feet long and
twenty-five broad, built to the fortress, and under
which tower was the principal gateway. The remains
of this last-mentioned tower, form the hall and centre
of the present building, and the entrance to the fort
was through arches of hewn stone at each end of it.
In 1622-23, Sir Laurence built a porter's lodge, and
also what was called "the garden tower;" and he
likewise fitted up a drawing-room, and enclosed a
garden and orchard.
In 1624, Sir Laurence erected a new kitchen and
other offices, which formed a long range of buildings,
and composed one side of the court. The stables ex-
tended along the river, south of the Black Castle, and
formed another side ; and on the north stood a double
wall, filled up with earth between, and having a gate-
way in the centre. These buildings were thrown down
by the late Sir "William Parsons, about the year 1778.
In 1627, Sir Laurence built the " French Flanker,"
the site of which is now unknown ; and he likewise
erected on the old Black Castle, a watch-tower, which
HISTORY OF BIRR. 45
stood on thirteen corbtls, projecting on the outside,
and over-topped all the neighbouring buildings.
It is very probable it was between the grant to Sir
Laurence Parsons in 1620, and his death in 1628,
that the .square tower or belfry was added to the old
Church in Birr. It is evident that this belfry is more
modern than the remainder of the Church ; and also
that it was built against the gable end of the Church
previously there ; and, as the arms of Sir Laurence
Parsons, impaled with those of his wife, are still
remaining over the entrance to this tower, it seems
very likely that it was erected in his time. This
tower has also the appearance of having been intended
as a place of defence, as well as a belfry ; and there is
no doubt but it was used as such place of defence in
1641, and again in 1690.
There was at this time, about 1620, a bridge
over the Birr river, leading into the town at the
end of Castle Street, near the castle. This bridge
crossed the river opposite to the old church, where
the distillery yard was in later days, and led from
Brendan's Well, which was close to the river on
the opposite side ; and from Killeen and Croghan
in Tipperary, by a now long unused and closed
up road. This old bridge was swept away by a
flood in 1787, but some remains of it were to
be seen in late years. There was also a wooden
trough formerly across the river here, which con-
veyed water, raised by a wheel worked by the
river, from Brendan's Well to a cistern which stood
46 HISTORY OF BIER.
where the distillery yard .was afterwards. There
was then likewise a passage leading to this well
from High Street, through the present Post Office
Lane.
It appears that so early as 1626 there was a Free
School in Birr, and that Sir Laurence Parsons, on his
petition, obtained for a while, a grant of 200 acres for
the use of the schoolmaster. The petition was as
follows : " To the Eight Honorable the Lord Deputy,
the humble petition of Sir Laurence Parsons
declaring that when there was allotted upon the
division of Fercall, 200 acres for a Free-school to be
erected in that "plantation, which lieth still in His
Majesty's gift. The premises considered, and foras-
much as there is a schoolmaster in your petitioner's
town of Birr, who teacheth the youth of that country
to the great good thereof, your suppliant therefore
humbly prays that your Lordship will be pleased to
grant him a Gusto dium of the said land for the use of
the said schoolmaster, until such time as your Lord-
ship shall otherwise dispose thereof, and your sup-
pliant shall pray 8th July 1626." On the foregoing
petition, an order, signed by Lord Deputy Falkland
and the Council, was made as follows : "The land
allotted for the Free-school in the King's County
being yet undisposed of, we are pleased to grant the
same unto the petitioner to the use of the School-
master residing at Birr, and the Sheriff of the King's
County, is to put him in possession, to continue for
and until such time as we shall otherwise dispose
HISTORY OP BIRR. 47
thereof." The Birr schoolmaster did not long enjoy
his 200 acres, however, for in two years afterwards it
was granted to Banagher school, to which it still con-
tinues attached. It is creditable to modern Birr that
a schoolmaster is now by no means such a rara avis
there, as the one referred to in the petition of Sir
Laurence appears to have been, in 1626.
From time to time, after getting possession of Birr,
Sir Laurence made several curious, and as some of
them would appear at the present time very arbitrary
ordinances for the regulation of the town in various
ways. These are the more remarkable as having
been made by a Baron of the Court of Exchequer,
which Sir Laurence then was. Thus in August 1626,
he made an order for the paving and cleaning of the
town, a as well beyond the bridge as within the
town," which might form a precedent for some
modem town councils. In these times all beyond
the old bridge was considered to be outside the
town.
Again, in December of the same year, he passed an
ordinance for the regulation of drinking-houses in
Birr, which might also rival modern legislation on
the subject ; and by it he directed for reasons not
very flattering to the gentler sex that no single
woman should supply drink, on pain of being put in
the stocks for three market days ; and in 1627, ho
made a by-law to compel the inhabitants to build
chimneys, or in default to be banished from the town.
The reader will find some of these curious ordinances
48 HISTOEY OP BIRR.
(Nos. 5, 6, & 7) in the Appendix. Most of the fines were
to be applied to the repairs of the Parish Church, and
of " the Market Cross ; " but it does not now appear
where this cross was, or what has become of it.
This same year (1627), Sir Laurence, with the
assistance of the Eev. Eobert Sheeply, the then Vicar,
published regulations for burials in the Church-yard,
now the old Church-yard of Birr. It appears by
these regulations, dated 4th October 1827, that the
Churchwardens were to be paid for burials in the body
of the Church, and the money arising therefrom was
to be applied towards the repairs of the Church, and
other things necessary for it. The sum to be paid
for such interment was six shillings and eightpence
for a parishioner, and thirteen and fourpence for a
stranger ; and the burial of a stranger in the Church-
yard was to be agreed for with the minister and
churchwardens, and the money to be applied to the
same use as the former. The burial of parishioners
in the Church-yard was free, except the payment of
one shilling to the minister, fourpence to the parish
clerk, and fourpence to the sexton, who was to make
the grave. On the interment of foreigners or
strangers, the minister, clerk, and sexton were to be
entitled to double fees.
From a valuation made by Kowland Delahoide and
other Commissioners in 1629, it appears the rectory
of Birr was valued at six pounds per annum, and the
vicarage at three pounds. This was in the currency of
the time.
HISTOEY OF BIRR. 4 9
The tolls payable in Birr in 1626 were as follows:
a horse, threepence ; a cow, threepence, twopence
of which went to the book-keeper ; a pig, one
penny ; a sheep, one halfpenny, and if ten sold
to pay oiie penny, and if twenty, twopence ; woollen
cloth, every piece of, containing twenty yards, one
penny; and if les$ than twenty yards, one half-
penny; bag of brogues, one penny; every hide
above three years old, one penny ; ditto under,
one halfpenny; every seven pounds of butter,
one farthing. In after years there was a market
house erected in the market square of Birr, which
was used at times for holding the County Assizes
in, and many people were there sentenced to
death, by court-martial or otherwise. This market
house was also at times used as a military posi-
tion, by either party, during the contentions which
took place for the possession of the castle and
town of Birr. The following entry in respect to
this market house appears in the handwriting of
a later Sir Laurence Parsons in the old Eental
before referred to : "~Mem. Darby Mulrean hath
taken from me ye markett place of Birr whear
he is to bild as good a house as is bilt in Eoscrea,
and to alowe a roome for ye corne and measures
to him yt takes ye markett customs, and his leace
of seven years is expired and he is to shingle the
hole house within twelve years of his terme ye
Leace is to commence ye first of May next for
t \. outy one years at three pounds rent per annum.
I)
50 HISTORY OF BIRR.
Dat, July 2nd 1671." Were a Birr schoolboy
of the present day to judge by the spelling and
diction of the foregoing, without reference to the
custom of the times, he would probably be of
opinion that the writer of it deserved to be flogged ;
or at all events, that he required a schoolmaster
nearly as much as those for whom, as we have
seen, his ancestor had provided one nearly fifty years
before.
In 1628, the old gaol of Birr, part of which yet
remains, stood at the south-side of the old bridge.
This now plain looking old building was a remark-
able place in past times, and several persons, then
of consequence, have been confined there. Thus
Darby, "The "Wild Captain," was imprisoned in this
gaol, in 1648 ; and Sir Laurence Parsons and
Mr. Jonathan Darby, of Leap, were confined here
in 1689. Several persons have also been executed
here from time to time, and it was likewise
occasionally used as a military position. These cir-
cumstances will be more fully referred to in their
proper places.
About the year 1628, Castle Street was the prin-
cipal street in Birr. There were then also Laurence
Street, St. Brendan's Street, "Northe" Street, and
High Street, with some lesser streets and lanes. At
this time, however, there were only a few houses,
including the gaol, beyond the old bridge; and it
appears from a plan of the town, so late as 1691, that
even then the town did not extend northwards beyond
HISTOEY OF I3IRK. 51
the present Cumberland Square. In fact it was only
in the commencement of the present century that the
first houses in Cumberland Street were erected.
There is no doubt, however, but some of the streets
above-named existed in Birr long previous to the
coming there of Sir Laurence Parsons.
CHAPTEE V.
SIR LAURENCE PARSONS died in the month oi Septem-
ber 1628, and was succeeded by his eldest son Richard,
' a minor, who died in May 1634. Mr. William Par-
sons, second son of Sir Laurence, succeeded his brother ;
and under the Commission for Remedy of Defective
Titles he obtained in 1636, a confirmation of the
) grant already made to his father. By this new grant
he was to hold the premises as a forestat an increased
rent.
In the commencement of the war of 1641, Mr.
"William Parsons was appointed Governor of Ely
0' Carroll and its borders, and also of Birr castle,
which he garrisoned with his tenants to oppose the
O'Molloys, O'Carrolls, M'Coghlans, O'Kennedies and
Ormonders. From this time forward several skirmishes
appear to have taken place between the Birr garrison
and the different Irish septs surrounding the town ;
and amongst the rest, an attack was made by the
O'Molloys in December 1641, on the castle of
Clonoghill, and an attack was also made by the Irish
on the 28th of January following, on the castle of
Ballindarra, which was defended by some of the
HISTORY OP BIRR. 53
Birr garrison. Both these attacks seem to have
been repulsed.
The following circumstances and letters show that
the Irish of those days were not the uncultivated
people they are sometimes represented to have been ;
and also prove that there were men of much spirit
amongst them. Governor Parsons wrote to Colonel
Moore, an Irish commander whose camp was then at
Eglishj_ u few miles from Birr to endeavour to
bring him over to his side; and promising His
Majesty's pardon for the past. The letter, however, was
intercepted before reaching its destination by Phelim
Molloy, from whose answer, dated 2oth of March
1641, the following is an extract: "Mr. Parsons, I
intercepted your letter before it came to my Colonel's
hands, which, Avhen I perused, I began to be jealous
for your partiality, offering your protection to the
head and excluding the members from the wings of
your mercy. You write to my Colonel forthwith to
repair unto you, and to help you in suppressing those
who have offended His Majesty ; but who are the
offenders ? The English or the Irish ? I say without
any partial regard of either nation, that they are partly
of the Irish, and, for the most part, the English
officers uiicl governors, who, contrary to His Majesty's
gracious intentions, oppressed the poor subjects, which
brod a great scandal to the King's dignity and crown.
If you join with them, Mr. Parsons, we cannot, in
conscience, join in an unlawful matter with you, or
with anybody of that fashion, or imy i'ashion else;
54 HISTORY OP BIER.
contrariwise, if you be a true subject, or if God (that I
may use your own words) hath yet some share in you,
recanting your former life which you have lived these
three months last past, I promise you, in my Colonel's
name, His Majesty's protection, promising you here-
by faithfully my best endeavours for the preserva-
tion of yourself, your wife, children, and your good
mother, whom we held hitherto to be good neigh-
bours, withal assuring you that the good opinion
which we conceived of you and your mother was the
only cause that we behaved ourselves so mild and
tender-hearted towards you; which thing your brother-
in-law will try by experience to be true, if he be too
forward, especially against the poorer sort, whom, as
I am informed, he hangs and kills without remorse of
conscience, which is no sign of manhood or civil
Christianity." The brother-in-law above referred to
was Captain Coote, who was reputed to be very cruel
towards the Irish.
On the 5th of September following, the Lady Par-
sons' coach-horses were carried away by some of the
Irish, and she applied to Colonel Moore to have them
restored. His reply which bears testimony to her
popularity, and reflects credit on the soldier who
wrote it was as follows: "Much honour'd Lady, I
received your letter, which might easily move me to
do your Ladyship any lawful service, which I have
always coveted to do unto all such of your condition,
virtue, and worth, and much the rather for that I find
all the gentry and neighbours of these parts to much
HISTORY OF BIRR. o5
honour, esteem and love you, and in that degree that
one would think you were of their blood and flesh ;
and they 're detained against their will and to thoir
great grief. Thit, Madam, it pleased God by His will or
sufferance that this great alteration and separation of
many friends should happen, which hath reduced us to
that condition that those who were a little while since
loving friends, are now burning, killing, and destroying
one another. And for your part, Madam, though 1
think you have no malice to us, yet are you the sup-
porter and maintainer of that place, and those that are
with you being known, as I hear, to be malicious, will
take anything you have to help their designs, as they
have used those horses now writ of, and by likelihood
would do again, so that if I should get them restored,
I should arm or help my enemy against myself, in
which case (if you were a judge yourself) you would
condemn me as much as any. But if I were assured
no such use would be made of them, I would endeavour
to get them restored, which truly I hold but a poor
courtesy uiid nothing to what I should tind myself
willing to do for your Ladyship. I would write a
little more that might rather tend to your good than
otherwise, but that I will not imitate some who stuff
their letters with bragging, flaunting, and inventing
news j but only I wish with all my heart that your
Ladyship "\veiv out of that danger that some think you
are in, for I hear you wish well to all honest people,
and so I take leave and remain, your Ladyship's friend
and servant in what I may, P. Moore. Dated the
56 HISTORY Ot BIR&.
5th September 1642. To my much honoured and
highly esteemed friend, the Lady Anne Parsons,
these be presented."
The Birr garrison was put on the government estab-
lishment the 1st of April 1642. By the order of the
Lords Justices and Council for that purpose, after
reciting that the garrison had been theretofore kept by
the Governor Parsons, it was ordered that he as captain,
and his twenty-five cavalry and their officers, and
Captain Coote and his hundred infantry and their
officers, should be put upon the books by the Muster-
master General ; and that 'they should have thencefor-
ward rations from government, and, receive pay from
the 1st of March previous.
We find this castle closely besieged by the Irish
in April 1642. It was reduced to such great dis-
tress during the siege that many died, while others
maintained nature by feeding on cats and dogs, several
respectable persons giving twenty shillings for a
sucking colt, and two shillings for the blood and
entrails of a horse. There were then nine hundred
persons in the castle and town. On the 8th of May,
the Earl of Ormond, who was then at Maryborough,
despatched Sir Thomas Lucas, Commissary General of
the horse, Sir Charles Coote, Sir Eichard Grenville,
and Captain Yarner, with six troops of horse and
dragoons, to its relief, as well as to the relief of
the castles of ^uxcoj and Knocknamase (now
Golden Grove, near Eoscrea), which were also reduced
to great distress for want of ammunition. " This
HISTORY OF BIRR. 57
enterprise," says Mr. Carte, " was both difficult and
dangerous, by reason of the distance of these places,
the length of the march, and badness of the roads
through woods, bogs, and denies ; and the great mul-
titude of the enemy's troops which lay disposed in
these parts, and which, united, might intercept the
detachment, if not in their march, at least in their
retreat to the army." This party of horse took their
way through the woods of Mountrath, performed the
service for which they were sent, and returning
through O'Dunn's country by the way of Portene-
hinch, whither the Earl of Ormond sent a body of 500
foot and a troop of horse, under Colonel Monk, to
favour their passage of the Barrow, they, after sur-
mounting incredible difficulties, and performing a
march of forty-eight hours without more than three
hours' rest, came back safe to the army, not having
met with any loss except that of some horses which
were rendered unserviceable by the greatness of the
fatigue. It is stated in Playfair's Irish Baronetage,
that it was in consequence of this successful expedi-
tion that the title of Earl of Mountrath was entailed
on the posterity of Sir Charles Coote.
The following account of occurrences at Birr in the
early part of 1643 is taken partly from Carte's Ormond
and other writers, and partly from a MS. Journal
which was in the possession of the late Laurence,
Earl of Eosse in 1826. This Journal purported to
have been kept at Birr castle during the occurrences
mentioned in it, and it had every appearance of being
58 HISTORY of
written at the time. The writer of the present history,
without wishing to be responsible for either the
accuracy or impartiality of this Journal, thinks it
better to give such information from it, as in the mean
facts, is corroborated by other authorities.
Birr castle was again attacked early in the year
1643. Preston, the general commanding the con-
federate army of Leinster, an officer of great ex-
perience, having collected about 2,500 foot and some
troops of horse, invested the castle of Buj^is, which
surrendered to him on the 30th of December 1642.
From thence he marched to Birr, having intelligence
that the garrison had not powder to stand two hours'
assault. On the 14th of January 1643, the forces in
the castle received information that he was approach-
ing with great pieces of artillery ; and on the same
evening about dusk, the governor's scouts saw about
200 of the enemy at Gree, and Crinkle, or Crinkill,
both near Birr. The following day, Sunday, General
Preston appeared with 100 horse and 200 foot, on
Drumbawn Hill over the town. From thence he
reconnoitred the town and castle, and after firing some
shots, he encamped in the neighbouring woods ; and
from this time continued a close siege until the place
surrendered on the 20th. The enemy again showed
themselves on the 16th, with cavalry and infantry and
waggon train, to the number of about 2,000, and fired
several shots at the castle, to which they sent a
drummer in the afternoon with a paper containing the
following words : "A memorandum for the drummer
HISTORY OF BTRR. 50
that desires that the governor, Mr. Parsons, do send
a safe conduct for a gentleman, the Lord Governor of
Leinster doth intend to send to him." In reply to
this the Governor stated, that any gentleman that
came to speak to him should have free egress and
regress ; and soon after, a person styling himself Mr.
Oliver Darcy, of Platten, came from General Preston.
Mr. Darcy required to know whether the Governor
held the place for the King or for the Parliament, and
desired that he should allow the Lord General to place
a garrison there for His Majesty's use. To this the
governor answered, that he had no intelligence either
from His Majesty or the Parliament, concerning any
difference between them, but he held his castle and
land by royal patent granted to his father, and then
vested in him, and that he was by His Majesty's Com-
mission, dated about twelve months before, appointed
commander-in-chief of the territory of Ely 0' Carroll
and the borders thereof. Preston, dissatisfied with
his reply, pitched his tents in the fields adjoining the
town, and in the course of the night drew a trench
across the Guvemur's orchard, and another from the
sessions house to the town. The confederate forces
played their artillery the entire of next day upon the
walls of the castle, and killed one man in the town ;
the remaining houses in which the Governor caused to
bo set on fire to prevent the enemy from taking shelter
in them ; and in the afternoon seven cannon shot were
fired against the castle. The ensuing night, the
enemy having been instructed by a mason who had
60 HISTORY OF BIRR.
been employed in building the castle approached
within eight feet of the walls, and having hit upon a
green, clayish bank, on the west side of the building,
they undermined it in two places. The mouth of the
mine was not more than four yards from the walls.
The garrison hearing the sap, fired some shot, and
rolled great stones down the bank upon the besiegers ;
but by break of day they were got under ground, and
out of all danger. In the morning the besieged dis-
covered a barrel of gunpowder, which was left at the
mouth of the mine, those who brought it having been
obliged to desist, during the day-time, by the fire kept
up from the castle. On the 18th, Preston's troopsdis-
charged eleven great shot at the castle, which the
General declared his determination to beat down about
the Governor's ears ; and they succeeded in demolish-
ing a great part of the wall in one of the flankers.
Some of the balls were found in the building, and
weighed nine pounds each. By this time a party
which the Governor had placed in a mill, were strongly-
assaulted, and had killed from twenty to thirty of
their assailants. However, their ammunition -was ex-
hausted, and the mill set on fire over their heads. To
relieve this brave little corps, the Governor although
he knew the request would not be complied with sent
a message to Preston, desiring that his cattle might
be allowed to graze abroad, which the latter refused to
permit, but, pending the negotiation, the troops in the
mill were withdrawn.
The garrison having bravely held out for two days
HISTORY OF BIER. Gl
after a mine was prepared beneath them, was obliged
to beat a parley on the 19th. On the 20th, pledges
were sent in for the Governor's safe return from the
camp, to which he accordingly went, and after a long
debate capitulated that the garrison should march out
the next day, horse and foot, with arms, half their
plate and money, their clothes, and as much provi-
sions as they could carry. The reader will find (No. 8)
in the Appendix, a copy of the articles entered into
on this occasion.
Preston was more willing to grant these honourable
terms, in consequence of secret articles having been at
the same time executed by the Governor, by which
he promised to interfere with the Lord Justice for the
enlargement of three persons then in confinement,
namely, Nicholas Egan of Eath-Coffy, Catherine his
wife, and her sister, who was a religious woman.
This Catherine Egan's maiden name was Preston, and
it is likely she was some near relation of the General.
The following, taken from Castlehaveri* s Memoirs,
shows the extremities to which the Birr garrison
was reduced. Lord Castlehaven was Lieutenant
General of the Leinster horse, under Preston, and
was a witness of the scenes he describes, the day
after the capitulation. " My General " (Preston), says
he, "took Burris, Fortfalkland," (Banagher), "and
Birr, in the King's County, where I was with him,
and had the good fortune to begin my command in
the army with an act of charity, for, going to see the
garrison of Birr before it marched out, I came into a
62 HISTORY OF BIRR.
great room, where I found many people of quality,
both men and women. They no sooner saw me, but,
with tears in their eyes, they upon their knees, desired
me to save their lives. I was astonished at their
posture and petition, and having made them rise,
asked what the matter was ? They answered, that from
the first day of the war there had been continual
actions and bloodshed between them and their Irish
neighbours, and little quarter on either side ; and,
therefore (understanding I was an Englishman),
begged that I would take them into my protection.
I knew there was too much reason for their fears,
considering they were to march two or three days
through the woods of Irregan and waste countries
before they came to Athy, their next friendly garrison.
I went, therefore, to the General immediately, and got
to be commander of their convoy, and to make sure, I
called out three hundred foot and two hundred horse,
in whom I had much confidence,- and carried off the
people, who were, at least, eight hundred, men,
women, and children, and, though sometimes attacked,
I delivered them, with their luggage, safe to their
friends." Preston, after the surrender of Birr, ad-
vanced upon and took Banagher, and it seems from
Castlehaveri 1 s Memoirs that he continued in possession
of the castle of Birr, with all the other forts in the
King's County, in July 1643. It must also have
been in his power in 1645, as mention is made of his
having been in Birr at that time ; but it was ulti-
mately reduced by the army of Oliver Cromwell.
HISTORY OF BIRR. 63
From 1645, Birr remained in the possession of the
Confederate Catholic forces, until the year 1650 ; and,
accordingly, we meet with the name of one William
Birmingham, of Parsonstown, signed to the new form
of oath of the Confederates, in 164G. He was pro-
bably one of the Athenree family, as they appear to
have been connected with the O'Carrolls. In the
pedigree of Sir Daniel O'Carroll, in Keating s History
of Ireland, by O'Connor, John O'Carroll, in Crom-
well's time, is said to have been married to Margaret,
daughter of O'Crean Sligoe, by his wife Margaret,
daughter to the Lord Birmingham, of Athenree.
The substance of the oath of the Confederates was as
follows, viz : To bear allegiance to King Charles, I.,
his heirs and successors; to support the Roman
Catholics and all those who should take the same oath ;
to obey the orders of the Supreme Council of the Con-
federate Catholics, and to assist their cause ; not to
accept peace without the consent of the Council, and to
keep the articles, the particulars of which here follow :
The first of these articles was, that the Catholics
should hnvo the free exercise of their religion, as in
the reign of Henry VII. ; the second, that the secular
Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland should enjoy their
rights, as in the reign of the same King ; the third,
that the penal laws passed since the year 1529, being
the twentieth of the reign of King Henry VIII.,
should be done away with ; and the fourth, that the
Roman Catholic Clergy should use the Churches and
Benefices through the Kingdom, as the Protestant
64 HISTORY OP BIRR.
Clergy had done on the 1st of October 1641, with all
tithes, &c., saving the rights of the Koman Catholic
Laity.
In 1648, as stated in Carte's Ormond, Owen
O'Neill, and Einuncini, the Pope's Nuncio, having
been averse to peace, canie to an open rupture with
General Preston and his party ; and having lain at
Maryborough with eight hundred men, they retired
into Connaught and Ulster, where O'Neill's forces
were principally quartered, in order to collect a strong
army together. In his way, O'Neill made an attempt
upon Birr, which was garrisoned by Sir Phelim
O'Neill's men, who, with Lord Iveagh and MacDon-
nell's regiments, had fallen off from the Ulster army.
But Preston advancing with his troops, re-inforced by
six hundred of Lord Inchiquin's horse, and some of
Lord Taaffe's, raised the siege.
Birr was taken from the Irish by General Ireton,
in 1650. We learn from the History of the Irish
Rebellion of 1641, that soon after the Bishop of
Clogher's defeat at Londonderry, Ireton and Sir
Charles Coote, joining their forces, appeared before
Athlone to try if they could gain that garrison ; but
finding the bridge broken down, and the town partly
burned, Sir Charles Coote stayed there to straiten it;
whilst Ireton, taking two castles in MacColocche's
country, and also Birr (which the enemy had left and
burned), presently seated himself before Limerick,
where he received certain intelligence that the Mar-
quis of Clanrikarde had" retaken the two castles, and
HISTORY OF BIRR. ()")
laid siege to Birr, to the relief of which Colonel
Axtell, Governor at Kilkenny, having joined the
Wexford and Tippcrary forces at Roscrea, resolutely
marched. Upon this the Marquis of Clanrikarde's . J , r
troops retreated to the adjacent Island of Meelick,
from whence they were beaten upon the 25th of
October, with the loss of one thousand five hundred
foot, and two hundred horse, besides waggons and
baggage. In his History of the Civil Wars of Ireland,
Taylor has the following short account of this occur-
rence : "The Marquis of Clanrikarde made an attempt
to relieve Birr, but was defeated with great loss, and
this action terminated the campaign."
CHAPTEE VI.
Mr. WILLIAM PARSONS died in 1653, his death having
been caused by the petrefaction of one of his kidneys,
which is said to have been completely converted into
stone, and to have been afterwards preserved in the
Museum of Trinity College, Dublin. This William
Parsons, by his will, made provision for an Almshouse
in Birr, intended to have been kept up constantly for
old people. The following, as to this bequest, is from
Mr. Lodge's Peerage: "By his will, dated 17th of
April 1650, he directs his son and heir, when the
estate 'should be to him 1000 a-year, that he build
an Almshouse for four old people, keeping the gift of
each vacant place still in the heir of the house, allow-
ing each poor house a garden and orchards fitted to
their hands ; and each person twelvepence every Sun-
day, and the grazing of two cows a-piece among the
stock of the house, and free liberty to cut turf for firing
for their houses, and every second year to give them a
new red gown, with a badge on the right sleeve, with
the arms of his (said son's), grandmother Parsons, his
father's, and mother's ; every person to be placed there
to be Protestants, and of English families, and to be in
their gowns every Sunday, to keep the seats (where
HISTORY OF BIRR. 07
the heir of the family should sit) clean, and to wait
at the door of the seats at his or their going in and
coming out of the Church, forenoon and afternoon,
and then to receive their twelvepence a-piece, which
they are to forfeit in case of wilful absence. And
desires that these houses might be built all under one
roof, near or about the place where Patrick Condon's
house stood, and the orchards and gardens to go
upwards towards the green at Parsonstowu, it being
near the Church and the dwelling-house, and (adds
he), I charge him that his grandfather's and grand-
mother's, and mine and his mother's arms may be set
over the middle door of the house with this inscription:
" This was built in memory of goodness."
It seems from the foregoing, that the testator was
very desirous the family arms should not be lost sight
of, and also that he had not much liking for the Irish,
amongst whom his father had made such an advanta-
geous settlement, and from whom his income was
principally to be drawn. This Almshouse appears to
have been continued in 1670, for the old rental before-
mentioned, contains the note of an agreement made that
year by Sir Laurence Parsons with Eichard Jones, for
a lease of a house and garden, and which provides
that if Sir Laurence was "to hold his Almshouse
thereat," he should have it. When or how this
Almshouse was discontinued, or why it is not con-
tinued, with some modifications, at the present time,
does not appear.
On the death of Mr. William Parsons, his son
08 HISTORY OF EIRE.
Laurence succeeded to the estates, and in 1677, he was
created a baronet. The following is copiedN from
entries made by Mr. Laurence Parsons, from 1660 to
1663, in the old rental before referred to, and if not
otherwise interesting, is at least curious, as affording
information as to the manners of these long past
times.
" The names of Laurence Parsons, his children,
theare godfathers and godmothers, and ye time when
he married his wife.
"August 14th, 1660, I married my wife. Her
name was Frances Savage, daughter to Will: Savage
of Castle Eebban, in ye County of Kildare, Esq r - We
were married in Sheep Street, in Dublin, at Cap:
Sankie his house, who is married to another sister.
"The 8th of June (1661) my son William was
borne in my castle of Parsonstowne about (12) a
clocke at noone, being Saturday, and ye Wednesday
after was christened by M r Well in ye church of
Parsonstowne. His godfathers weare my wife's father-
in-law, S r - Will: Fflower, and my brother-in-law, S r-
Will: Parsons of Langly parke, in England, in Buck-
inghamshire, but neither of y m - being heare, my
brother Blunt and my cousen Will: Parsons stood for
y m - My sister Sankie was his godmother.
"The 29th of June (1662) my sone Savage was
borne in my castle of Parsonstowne about (5) of ye
clocke in ye afternoone, being Sonday, and ye Wed-
nesday after was christened in my wife's chamber,
being weake. His godfathers woare my cousen Eawsen
HISTORY OF BIRR. (>'J
and Cap: Peasly of Roskreagh. His godmother was
my mother Fflower. Ye (23) of Nov r after, he died
and was buried in ye church of Parsonstowne, neere
my aunt Lowther.
" The 13th of August (1663) my daughter Dorothy
was borne in my castle of Parsonstowne. Her god-
mothers weare M 18 - Cearle of Eglish, and M 1 " 8 Bullin of
Roskreagh. Her godfather was Bishop Worth,
Bishop of Killalooe. Lau: Parsons."
Birr must have been a place of considerable trade
about the year 1660, as several of those pieces of brass
money or tradesmen's tokens which were used about
that time were struck in it. Mr. Simon, in reference
to this description of coin, says, "Before the Restora-
tion, and during the Commonwealth and Cromwell's
Government, no money was coined for the particular
use of Ireland ; but divers persons in Dublin and
other places of the kingdom, in order to supply the
great scarcity of small change, coined copper tokens
with their names and places of abode stamped on
them, whereby they obliged themselves to make them
good." He then enumerates some particular coins of
this description, and proceeds, " All these tokens are
made of brass or copper, not broader, but thinner, than
our present farthings, and like so many promissory
notes, passed for one penny each in the neighbourhood,
and amongst the customers of those who issued them,
whose names, together with the value (Id.), and their
coat of arms, sign or cypher, are imprinted on their
respective pieces."
70 HISTORY OF BIRR.
There are known to have been at least seven
varieties of coin, such as alluded to by Mr. Simon,
struck in Birr. Five of these are mentioned in the
Catalogue of the Tradesmen's Tokens current in Ireland
between the years 1637 and 1679, by Doctor Smith;
and the writer of this account of Birr has met two
other varieties of Birr tokens not mentioned in
Doctor Smith's Catalogue. One of the Birr coins is
impressed with three arrow-heads or pheons^ the
armorial ensigns of the Archer family, with the name
" Marcus Archer of Birr, Marchant." Another Birr
coin is inscribed on one side, " R.A., 1667," around
which is " Richard Archer," and on the reverse are
the same arms as on the first-mentioned coin, sur-
rounded by, " of Birr, Marchant." This coin clearly
proves that the Archer family used for arms the
pheons upwards of twenty years before they had a
regular grant of them; for it was only in 1688 that
the three pheons were for the first time charged upon
the arms of that family by the herald, Dugdale. A
third Birr coin has on it, "By Robert Jeffes of Birr,
to pass for I.D.," and on the reverse, " In necessary
change with labourers and others." A fourth has,
" Thomas Langton," which is continued round the
reverse in the words, " Birr, Marchant ; " and in the
middle of the reverse is a thistle. There are two
other varieties of Birr coin with the name of Thomas
Langton, but each somewhat different from the one
mentioned, and from each other. The seventh variety
of Birr coin known is inscribed, " Michael Cantwell,"
HISTORY OF BIRR. 71
and the arms on the reverse are surmounted by the
letters, "M.C." within " of Birr, Marchant."
With reference to some of the persons by whom
these coins were issued, it appears from the rental of
the Parsons family for the year 16C7, that Marcus
Archer in that year held a house and garden in Birr,
at a rent of 2, 10s., and a fine of two hens and two
capons ; and in the same also appears the following
entry : u Mr. Eobert Jeffs, for a park on ye Greene,
with a fat hogg yearly, 4." This Eobert Jeffs'
coin was probably struck prior to 1G74, for it seems
he either died or left Birr then, as his parks appear
to have been let by Sir Laurence Parsons to Eichard
Bernard in that year, at the rent of 5, and a
hundred of hops. Marcus Archer continued to live
in Birr until 1686, but no mention of him occurs
afterwards. It also appears from the rental referred
to, that Thomas Langtonn became tenant to the Par-
sons family in 1663, and his name is continued in
every subsequent Eental to 1686 ; from which there
is no mention of the holding until 1694, when " Lang-
ton's Plots," appear paid for by the Widow Langtonn
at the same rent, from which it is clear he had died
prior to 1694.
In Sir William Petty's Political Anatomy of Ire-
/tnirl, published in 1672, the following places are
mentioned amongst those then returning members to
the Irish Parliament, viz. : King's County, two
members ; and the Boroughs of " Phillippstown,"
"Byrr," and Banagher, two ninnlHTs each.
72 HISTORY OF BIRR.
In his book entitled The Interest of Ireland in its
Trade and Wealth Stated, published in 1682, Eichard
Laurence bears testimony to the trade of Birr at that
period. In this work he says, that in a few years
after May 1664, " We had erected by private persons,
on their own accounts, many considerable manufac-
tories. In Leinster Alderman Daniel Hutchenson,
at Athy ; Earl of Arran, at Tullagh ; Lord Chancellor
Eustace, at Baltinglass ; Esquire Parsons, at the
Byrre, &o."
It is said in King's State of the Protestants, that
Colonel Garrett Moore was Lord Lieutenant of the
King's County in 1687, and that Terence Coghlan,
and Owen O'Carroll were Deputy Lieutenants, and
that Birr was at the time the principal seat of
Government of the County. In this statement, how-
ever, there appears to be some anachronism. Hewar
Oxburgh was Sheriff of the King's Countv in that
o /
year.
The following account of events connected with
Birr, which occurred in 1688, is taken principally
from a "MS. Narrative of Sir L. Parsons, written in
the time of King William III." At this period the
country about Birr was infested by robbers and
raparees, and particularly by one Fannin, with a
strong party of desperadoes, who kept the neighbour-
hood in perpetual alarm. In consequence of this,
Sir Laurence Parsons received into Birr Castle at their
request, about eighty of his tenants and neighbours,
with their wives and children, and ordered the
HISTORY OF BIRR. t 6
gates to be closed. Upon this Colonel, lately Captain
Oxburgh, who had theretofore acted as agent to Sir
Laurence Parsons, but was now his enemy, and
serving under King James, reported to Lord Tyrcori-
nell that Sir Laurence held a garrison against the
King, and had fifteen hundred men in arms within
his castle, and that he kept smiths there continually,
manufacturing warlike implements. In consequence
of this, Oxburgh got an order, dated 3rd of January
1688, from the Lord Lieutenant to place a garrison in
Birr Castle, although Colonel Garrett Moore, who
had been sent by his lordship to make inquiries on
the subject, had reported that the charges against Sir
Laurence were unfounded. In about a month after
getting the order, Oxburgh demanded possession of
the castle, and on Sir Laurence declining to comply
until he should hear from the Lord Lieutenant and
Colonel Moore, Oxburgh and Colonel Grace besieged
the castle, with twenty-two companies of infantry,
and a troop of dragoons. The siege was closely kept
up for several days and nights, so that no provision
could be obtained by the besieged, and the besiegers
having commenced to undermine the castle, terms of
capitulation were finally agreed upon. The reader
will find these articles (No. 9) in the Appendix.
Upon the perfection of this treaty and consequent
surrender of the castle, Sir Laurence and five of his
principal tenants were arrested, and all six kept
closely confined in the castle. In three days after
the arrest of Sir Laurence, Mr. Jonathan Darby, of
74 HISTORY OF BIER.
Leap, and his brother John Darby, were put in the
same prison, charged with rescuing Captain Eichard
Coote ; and Mr. Thomas Eoe was imprisoned with
them at same time.
On the 27th of March, the prisoners were sent to
take their trial at Philipstown Assizes, and were
informed of the charges upon which they were to be
tried. These were as follows, viz : Sir Laurence
Parsons and his tenants, John Philips, Philip Moore,
Eandal Knight, James Bury, and James Eascoe for
high treason, in keeping the garrison of Parsonstown
against the King ; Jonathan and John Darby for high
treason, in rescuing Captain Eichard Coote ; and
Thomas Eoe for high treason, for holding the house
of Ballinmoney against his Majesty. Of these Philip
Moore was never indicted.
The day of trial having arrived, and the evidence
having closed, Sir Henry Lynch the Judge caused the
articles of surrender to be read, and declared they
were an overt act of high treason, and charged the
jury to find all the prisoners guilty, and the jury
soon agreed on a verdict against Sir Laurence,
Jonathan Darby, and James Eascoe, but acquitted
the rest. The trial took place on the 30th of March
1689, and on the following Monday the convicts were
brought up for judgment, and were sentenced to be
hanged, drawn, and quartered. After reflection,
however, the Judge reprieved Sir Laurence for a
month, but refused to reprieve Darby, or Eascoe for
more than ten days, and it was only by sending a
HISTORY OF UII!K. I )
solicitor to Dublin, that they also received a reprieve
for a month.
Upon the conviction of Sir Laurence, he was sent
under escort to Birr, where he was imprisoned until
the second of April 1690, during which period he
was several times reprieved, and only escaped death,
as King says, because it was not thought safe to
execute him until the war was over. Sir Laurence
was also attainted, as were likewise his son and
brother, by the Parliament held in Dublin, under
King James II., in 1689, and in which Colonel
Oxburgh and Owen Carroll, already mentioned, sat
as members for the King's County.
It appears from the same "MS. Narrative of Sir
Laurence Parsons," that at this time Colonel Oxburgh's
regiment consisted of twenty-two companies, two of
which were quartered in the castle, and the other
twenty companies in the town of Birr ; as were like-
wise Captain John Oxburgh's troop of dragoons, and
a company of infantry, under Lieutenant Colonel
Robert Grace.
During these disasters, the Protestant minister of
the parish, the Rev. Richard Crump, made away and
deserted his flock ; whereupon the profits of the
living were seized upon for the King by his Majesty's
Receiver, Garrett Trant, who set the Glebe to the
Rev. Thomas Kennedy, the then Roman Catholic
Priest of the parish. He also set the tythes of the
whole parish to the same tenant. This seizure was
the first of the kind made in the King's County, or
/ i > HISTORY OF BIRR.
probably in Ireland; and in all likelihood would
not have taken place, if the minister had kept his
ground.
Soon after the Eev. Mr. Crump's flight, viz., on the
28th of November 1689, Colonel Oxburgh's Officers
went to the Clerk of the Parish, and with violent
threats, demanded from him the key of the Church,
which he was obliged to give them, and it was then
handed over by them to the Eev. Mr. Kennedy.
Thereupon the Eoman Catholic clergy were sum-
moned, and attended in great numbers at the reconse-
cration, or reconcilement of Birr Church, which cere-
mony occupied several days. Mass was solemnized
there, on the 5th of December following, and so, after-
wards, continued to be until the Battle of the Boyne.
In April 1689, Lord Tyrconnell sent Colonel Sars-
field, with instructions to review the army, and to
disband as many as he thought proper ; but so as to
leave in each regiment at least thirteen companies.
Colonel Sarsfield was an enlightened liberal man,
above the prejudices of the day, and carried himself
well towards all parties, making no distinction be-
tween Protestant or Catholic, but courteously treating
all alike. Upon Sarsfield's arrival in Birr, Oxburgh's
regiment was drawn up on the Birr meadows, and
several officers of distinction, and ladies of the neigh-
bourhood, attended the review. While the Colonel
was inspecting the troops, two soldiers threw down
their appointments, and ran off from the ranks, upon
which Sarsfield put off his jackboots, and pursued
HISTORY OF BIRR. 77
them. They were soon overtaken and brought
back, and condemned to be shot; but Colonel
Oxburgh's wife and daughter being near at hand in
great pomp in their coach, threw themselves upon
their knees, supplicating for mercy-, and the generous
warrior Sarsfield, obliged to yield to their entreaties,
forgave the culprits. Sarsfield having disbanded nine
companies of Oxburgh's regiment at this review,
went from thence to Portumna, where he disbanded
forty -three companies of Lord Galway's corps, the
men of which being left without means of support,
were forced to become raparees and highwaymen. To
make a slight digression, it may be mentioned here
that the " MS. Narrative of Sir Laurence Parsons,"
states that the name " Eaparee," so common in former
times, conies from a sort of half-pike, with which they
used to be armed, and which the " Narrative " says,
was, in Irish, called rapparee. However, Mr. O'Keilly,
in his Dictionary, says, that " Eapaire " signifies " a
noisy fellow," and which appears to be the more pro-
bable derivation of the word.
At this time, 1689, Colonel Oxburgh was appointed
by the Government, Provost Marshall of the King's
County. He showed his authority by riding through
the country in great state, and causing gallows to be
erected in several places. Amongst the rest he had
a gallows with three pegs, put up in the street of
Birr, which was then supposed to be intended for the
execution of Sir Laurence Parsons, Mr. Jonathan
Darby, and James Eascoc. This gallows was erected
78 HISTORY OF BIRR.
on May-day 1689, and was, therefore, ever after called
Colonel Oxburgh's May-pole. At .jjHiinrone, he also
caused another gallows to be erected, on which he
hanged a poor man, because some mutton was found
hidden in his garden.
After Sir Laurence and the other convicts were
brought from the Assizes, they were confined in Birr
Castle, but the noise and insults of Oxburgh's soldiers
there was so unsupportable, that they were obliged
to have themselves removed to the common gaol of
Birr.
The fate of Oxburgh, according to the "Narrative"
from which we have been quoting, was as follows :
The Colonel died, and his regiment was given to his
son Henry, but before his death, his wife (whose
maiden name was Coghlan), and he had a dispute,
which ended in their parting beds. One of his
daughters, then about five-and-twenty years of age,
and who was married to Lieutenant-Colonel Carroll,
died suddenly, of apoplexy, in the middle of the night.
The other daughter, who was married to Captain Pay,
died of the small-pox, and two of their sons were
killed at the battle of Aughrim. The eldest son
joined King William the Third's army after the siege
of Limerick, but being soon after disbanded, spent the
remainder of his life with his mother, in poverty and
distress. This lady, who was present at the battles of
Athlone, Galway, and Limerick, was, after the decline
of her fortune, obliged to return to her house at
Boveen, near Birr, where she afterwards resided in a
HISTORY OF BI11R. 7'
poor condition, and was forced to employ her coach
in carrying' firewood .for sale into Bin*, to maintain
herself and family. A doleful example is this of the
instability of human greatness.
Leaving for a while the " Narrative of Sir Laurence
Parsons," we turn to some circumstances known from
other sources concerning this Oxburgh family, so
much mixed up in the history of Birr about this
period. It appears by the old Eental of the Parsons
family, before referred to, that Colonel Oxburgh held
the lands of Crinkill, from Sir Laurence Parsons, in
1669, at 60 a-year, and the lands of Newtown, at
70 per annum. In a lease dated llth December
1736, made by Mary Warren and others, to Thomas
Dillon, of Kilcoleman, of the lands of Killenbrackan,
not far from Birr, there is a recital that Henry
xburgh, or, as he is there called, Oxbury (the
Colonel's son), who was a life in the lease of these
lands, was attainted and executed for high treason,
a little subsequent to 1714. This deed states that by
this Henry Oxburgh's attainder, these lands became
vested in the crown. Oxburgh resided at Boveen,
on the 28th of September 1707. Play fair's Irish
Peerage states that Thomasina, daughter of " Hey-
wood Oxburgh, of Bovine," was married to Thomas,
son of Edward, son of Sir Thomas Loftus.
To resume from the " Narrative." In the end of
1689-90, an agreement was entered into between the
English and Irish armies for an exchange of prisoners,
and an order came from the King to Terence Coghlan.
80 HISTORY OF BIRR.
Esq., then High Sheriff of the King's County, to bring
up Sir Laurence Parsons, and Eascoe, to Dublin. On
the 2nd of April 1690, they accordingly set out for
Dublin, and on the first day went as far as Ballyboy,
from whence they reached Edenderry on the second
day, Leixlip on the third, and on the 5th of April,
they arrived in Dublin. Thus, it required, in these
times, four days to travel from Birr to Dublin, which
can now be done in less than as many hours.
Sir Laurence having been kept a prisoner in Dublin
for some time, was liberated after the Battle of the
Boyne, fought on the 1st of July 1690 ; and upon the
establishment of King William's Government in
Ireland, he was appointed High Sheriff of the King's
County. The country was then very unsafe, being
full of the remains of the late King's army, and
raparees, and it was the more unsafe to Sir Laurence,
in consequence of there still being a large garrison of
the Irish at Banagher, within a few miles of Birr.
He was at this time also appointed a Commissioner of
Array, the other Commissioners of Array for the
King's County being, John Baldwin, jun., Daniel
Graghan, William Purefoy, Samuel Eolls, Hector
Yaughan, John Weaver, sen., Jonathan Darby,
Humphrey Minchin, Archibald Adaire, Jeffery Lyons,
John Beading, Eichard Warburton, sen., and Eichard
Warburton, jun. Being thus authorized, Sir Laurence
set out from Dublin for Birr, through a dangerous
woody country full of raparees and strolling parties
of the Irish soldiery. He brought with him ammuni-
HISTORY OF BIRR. 81
tion for the King's County Militia, and on his way,
swore in several Justices of the Peace, by virtue of a
dedimus given him by the Lord Commissioners.
The following is also chiefly taken from the " MS.
Narrative of Sir Laurence Parsons," already referred
to.
On the 8th of August, Sir Laurence, accompanied
by Captain Theobald Burke, a younger son of the
Earl of Castleconnell, and who was married to a kins-
woman of Sir Laurence, arrived at Birr. At this
time the Castle of Birr was garrisoned by the English,
consisting of about eighty infantry, and a few dra-
goons, under the command of Captain Curry, of
Colonel Tiffan's regiment. The llth of August 1690,
information was received that a party of horse from
Banagher was approaching Birr, and had taken a
great number of cattle, and part of the Birr garrison
having thereupon sallied out, a skirmish took place
between them, about ten o'clock in the morning.
About twelve o'clock the same day, the Irish to the
number of about one thousand horse and foot, under
the command of Colonel Geoghegan, advanced to
Burke's Hill, over Birr, and sent a summons to the
castle, but after some parley they retired.
Sir Laurence Parsons being then in Dublin, an
Irish army consisting of seven battalions of foot, six
regiments of horse, and four of dragoons, with a train
of six pieces of artillery, and amounting in all, accord-
ing to Harris's Life of William ///., to ten thousand
men, began, on the ICth of September 1690, to make
F
82 HISTORY OF BIRR.
their appearance in the neighbourhood of Burke's Hill.
Upon this a drum was beat to recall the soldiers
belonging to the castle, who were amusing themselves
in the town, and Ensign Ball, with twenty infantry,
and a serjeant, was sent to occupy the steeple of the
church; and Lieutenant Newstead was sent with
r (L another party, to observe the enemy's approach, and
7 (I clear the neighbouring hedges. An officer with a few
A,. Jl horse soon appeared, and informed him that Colonel
y Sarsfield, the Duke of Berwick, and Lord Galway,
were advancing to attack the castle. The main body
t|l t of the Irish remained on Burke's Hill, and a consider-
able body of cavalry was sent to Nicholson's Park,
near a place called the Raelane, and another party to
the top of Drumbawn Hill. After sometime the
infantry marched towards the castle, with a twelve-
pounder, a six-pounder, and a three-pounder, and
with colours flying, trumpets sounding, drums beating
and bagpipes playing. When they arrived at that part
of the Green, where Mr. Cooke's house now stands,
within musket shot of the castle, they planted their
battery against it. In the commencement of the
attack, the besieged hoisted a bloody flag on the top
of the castle, being determined to hold out. Seeing
^ this Colonel Sarsfield addressed his officers, and for
reasons given by him, endeavoured to dissuade them
from the attack. Colonel Oxburgh, however, begged
that the castle might be laid in rubbish, so as to force
the garrison to submit. Upon this the place was again
summoned to surrender, and Captain Curry having
HISTORY OF BIRR.
refused to yield, the Irish Commanders, about two
o'clock in the afternoon, began firing their great guns.
The first shot broke a hole in the roof of the castle,
and made a great noise. At the commencement of
the attack, the town's-people fled to the castle, and
the enemy entered and plundered the town. While
approaching to form their battery, the Irish were
greatly annoyed by the fire of small arms, and par-
ticularly by that from Ensign Ball's detachment in the
top of the steeple of the Church, which was situated on
an eminence, partly between the castle and the Irish.
'Sarsfield in the first place lined with infantry the
hedges about the Green, Godsell's Park, and behind
the Almshouse, which then stood between the Church
and the Green. The fire from these was very annoy-
ing, although it did no execution, unless to kill the
sergeant of Ensign Ball's party, who exposed himself
too much above the battlements of the steeple. After
the first fire from the artillery, the besiegers beat a
parley, which had no good result, and the action re-
commenced and continued until sunset, during which
time the fire from the artillery, and of small arms from
the hedges, which was briskly answered by sharp and
thick vollies from the castle and steeple, resembled a
continual roar of thunder. Lord Galway and several
other officers got into the Market-house, which
fronted the castle, and from thence they kept up a
galling fire with fusees against the doors and windows,
so that the besieged could not stir in any of the front
rooms. The enemy's great guns being burst, and
84 HISTORY OF BIRR.
their engineer killed at the setting of the sun, they
drew off their cannon with some difficulty, and retired
to Burke' s Hill. The "Narrative of Sir Laurence
Parsons," from which this is taken, adds that the
besiegers lost sixty men, and the besieged only one
man, and that the Irish broke up their camp, and
marched away from Burke' s Hill during the night.
The writer of this work, however, does not vouch for
the accuracy of the " Narrative."
In his Life of William ///., Harris states that upon
the first news of the attack on Birr by Sarsfield, Sir
John Lanier marched ' to dislodge him, but Sarsfield
retired on his approach, the tidings of which occa-
sioned Sir John to return to his former quarters ;
whereupon Sarsfield again invested the castle, as has
been just described. At length Lieutenant- General
Douglas,* Major-General Kirk, and Sir John Lanier,
with a strong body of forces, both horse and foot,
advanced with a resolution not only of disturbing the
siege, and throwing relief into the castle, but also
with an intention to drive Sarsfield beyond the Shan-
non, and break down the bridge of Banagher, so as to
prevent his incursions in future over that pass.
General Douglas arrived in Birr about three o'clock
in the afternoon of the 18th, marched through the
town, and encamped upon Burke's Hill. On the
19th he found Sarsfield very advantageously posted,
about two miles beyond the town, amongst bogs and
fastnesses, and was resolved to attack him, but Sarsfield
retired to a place of more security beyond the Shannon.
HISTORY OF BIRR. 8-~>
Although the principal design of this expedition was
upon the bridge of Banagher, the attempt to break it
down was found to be too hazardous, as the enemy
was not only very strong on the Connaught bank of
the river, but the bridge was defended by a castle,
and another work which protected it on two sides.
The English army therefore returned to Birr, where
they encamped for ten or twelve days, to countenance
the people employed in fortifying with sodworks
the town, which had previously been open and
defenceless.
To resume from the " Narrative of Sir Laurence
Parsons." The fortifications and trenches around Birr
were commenced on Saturday, and twelve hundred men
were employed at them on Sunday, and six or seven
hundred men constantly afterwards for eight or ten days.
Both gables of the Sessions-house were pulled down,
and all the hedges, ditches and orchards within the
works levelled, and the wood converted into fascines
for the fortifications. On Major- General Kirk's
arrival, his first act was to order all the Eoman
Catholics in the town to be seized, and imprisoned in
the Market-house, where they remained confined for
three or four days, until they became bound, one for
another, for their good behaviour, and that they would
not depart the town. Kirk's next act was to order
Lord Lisburn to burn all the houses between the town
and Kacalier-bridge, to prevent the enemy from
taking shelter in them. The town itself did not fare
much better. Most of the houses without the fortifi-
86 HISTORY OF BIRR.
cations were pulled down for fireing by the soldiery,
although there was turf enough upon the bogs near at
hand. As to this Lord Lisburn, whose name was
Adam Loftus, we learn from Crossley's peerage that
he was created Lord Viscount Lisburne, by James II.,
in 1685, and was killed on the 15th September 1691,
by a cannon ball, in his tent before Limerick, at the
siege, " for the tent stood too near the trenches." He
is buried in St. Patrick's choir, Dublin, to the right
of the communion table, joining the Earl of Cork's
monument, and the cannon ball that killed him hangs
up over his burial place. Thus Lord Lisburn was
killed fighting against the King, to whom he was
indebted for his title.
During their stay in Birr, King William's army
not only burned the country round, but bread being
scarce with them, they made that a pretext for strip-
ping and rpbbing many of the Irish who had taken
protection ; which infamous practice, says Mr. Harris,
in the Life of William ///., forced these people to go
out upon their keeping, and turn raparees, and raised
great numbers of enemies to King William, that
would otherwise have remained quiet. This statement
of Mr. Harris as to the ill-conduct of King William's
army, is confirmed by the fact of the Lord Justices
having been at length obliged to issue orders for
preventing such atrocities. In the Appendix (No. 11),
will be found a list of persons whose property in and
about Birr was destroyed at this time by the English
and Irish armies.
HISTORY OF BIRR. 87
After the siege, the standing garrison of Bin-
consisted, according to the " Narrative " already men-
tioned, of three regiments of foot, under the command
of Major Collier, who governed the castle. Sir
Laurence's son, Captain William Parsons, commanded
a troop of Militia cavalry in the town, and his brother
was posted in Carolanty House. The Irish occa-
sionally made sallies from their quarters at Banagher,
and annoyed the town, but without doing any consi-
derable damage. After the battle of Aughrim, the
English army marched to besiege Limerick, and the
Irish quitted the fort of Banagher, of which Major
Collier immediately took possession, and stationed
himself there ; while Captain Parsons, with his troop,
took Cloghan Castle, in which he left a garrison,
under the command of Lieutenant Archibald
Armstrong, and returned to Birr with the remainder
of his men. The English army passed through Birr
on their way to Limerick in 1691, and converted the
castle into an hospital, leaving there four hundred
sick and wounded men, who remained in it nearly two
months.
Sir Laurence Parsons died in 1698, and his eldest
son, Sir William, the second Baronet, succeeded him.
This Sir William represented the King's County in
the Irish Parliament in 1704, and in several successive
Parliaments, and died in 1740. He was succeeded by
his grandson Sir Laurence, the third Baronet who, in
November 1741, was also chosen to represent the
King's County. On the death of this last-mentioned
88 HISTORY OF BIRR.
Sir Laurence in 1749, he was succeeded by Sir
William, the fourth Baronet, who died in 1791.
This Sir William held the rank of General in the
Irish Volunteers, and on his death his eldest son Sir
Laurence, the fifth Baronet, succeeded him; and on
the death of his uncle without male issue, this Sir
Laurence also succeeded as second Earl of Eosse, on
the 27th of May 1807. It is almost unnecessary to
mention that this was the late Laurence, Earl of
Eosse, who died in March 1841.
CHAPTEE VII.
IN 1747, Cumberland Pillar was erected in the Square,
in the town of Birr. It was built by subscription, in
commemoration of the battle of Culloden. This pillar
is of the Doric order, is forty-seven feet high, and sur-
mounted by a statue of the Duke of Cumberland,
seven feet and a half in height. The statue was pro-
cured and set up at the expense of the Sir Laurence
Parsons of the time. It was executed by Cheere of
London, the same artist who executed the monument
in memory of the Earl of Cork, on the north side of
the altar in Christ's Church, Dublin. There was
formerly a fosse with water surrounding this pillar in
Cumberland Square, Birr ; the water having been
conveyed to it by a channel from a higher part of the
Birr river, between the town and Syngfield.
The Birr Freemasons' Lodge was also established in
the year 1747. The warrant is from Sir Marmaduke
Wyville, Baronet, Grand Master, and John Putland,
Deputy Grand Master, to William Macoun, Thomas
Nethercott, and James Armstrong, the first Master
and Wardens. The warrant is No. 163, and bears
date the 15th July A.D. 1747, and year of Masonry,
5747. There was another warrant issued in 1847
90 HISTORY OF BIRR.
just one hundred years after for holding a Eoyal
Lodge in Birr. The Birr Freemasons' Lodge con-
tinues to prosper, and from time to time there have
been included amongst the members some of the most
respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood.
When the spirit of freedom was abroad in all other
parts of the kingdom, some twenty-five years after the
period last referred to, the King's County, including
Birr and the neighbourhood in particular, was not
inactive. We accordingly find, beginning in 1776,
the following Volunteer Corps formed about that time
in the King's County, Sir William Parsons being
General :
1. The Parsonstown Loyal Independents ; associated
the 15th of February 1776. Scarlet faced black;
silver lace. Colonel Sir William Parsons, Baronet.
Major L. Parsons (afterwards Earl of Eosse). Cap-
tain B. B. Warburton. Lieuts. Treacy and Kear-
ney. Surgeon William Wilkinson.
2. Edenderry Union; associated May 1st, 1777.
Scarlet faced black. Captains Shaw Cartland, and
Digby Berkeley.
3. Barony Rangers; associated March 17th, 1778.
Scarlet faced black. Colonel Andrew Armstrong.
Captain Eobert Shervington.
4. Tullamore True Blues ; associated October 28th,
1778. Scarlet faced blue; silver lace. Colonel
Charles William Bury (afterwards Earl of Charle-
ville).
5. Dunkerrin Volunteers; associated June 20th,
HISTORY OF BIRR. 91
1779. Scarlet faced black. Colonel James Franck
Eolleston.
6. Mountain Rangers; associated August 15th,
1779. Scarlet faced black. Colonel Bernard. Major-
George Clarke. Captain John Drought.
7. Eglish Rangers ; associated August 29th, 1779.
Scarlet faced black ; silver epaulets. Major Thomas
Berry. Captain John Drought. Lieutenant and
Adjutant J. C. Clarke.
8. Leap Independents ; associated March 17th, 1780.
Blue faced blue, edged white. Colonel Jonathan
Darby.
A meeting of delegates from several volunteer
corps was held at Birr on the 3rd of September 1781,
at which Colonel Rolleston presided. Upon this
occasion it was resolved first, That Ireland was an
independent kingdom, and could only be bound by
laws enacted by the King, Lords, and Commons of
Ireland ; secondly, That a Perpetual Mutiny Bill was
a measure of most dangerous tendency, as it vested a
power in the Crown inconsistent with the liberties of
the subject ; thirdly, That the law passed in the tenth
of Henry VII., commonly called Poigning's Law, was
unconstitutional, as the Parliament in which it was
enacted was a partial representation of the people, and
also, as it presumed to give away their rights, which
the meeting apprehended exceeded the power of Par-
liament ; fourthly, That for the more impartial distri-
bution of justice, it was proper that the Commission
of the Judges should be during good behaviour.
92 HISTORY OF BIRR.
These resolutions not having produced the desired
effect, another meeting was held in Birr on the" 20th
of March 1782, at which delegates from no^less than
seventeen corps attended. Sir William Parsons hav-
ing been called to the chair, and the resolutions
adopted by the meeting of the previous September
read, the following resolutions were passed unani-
mously, viz. :
First Eesolution. That we view the virtuous endea-
vours of this kingdom to ascertain and establish her
just rights and privileges with sincere joy, flowing
from hearts inviolably attached to its true interest
and happiness.
Second Eesolution. That we have reason to expect
that the liberal spirit of Parliament towards the
Eoman Catholics of this kingdom, by emancipating
them from restraints, which we are happy to think
are no longer necessary, will be attended with the
most beneficial consequences to this country, as
nothing can contribute so much to increase the pros-
perity and secure the independency of this kingdom
as a cordial union amongst its inhabitants of every
religious denomination.
Third Eesolution. That, actuated by the most
sincere loyalty towards our sovereign, it is our duty
to declare our determined resolution to support his
Majesty with our lives and fortunes against the
natural enemies of Great Britain and Ireland ; and to
defend his Majesty's kingdom of Ireland against the
enemies of our King and Constitution.
HISTORY OF BIRR. !;1
Fourth Resolution. That we will co-operate with
the other Volunteer Associations in such measures,
guided by prudence and supported with firmness, as we
conceive may most effectually tend to restore and con-
firm the Constitution and Commerce of this kingdom.
Fifth Resolution. That the thanks of this meeting
be presented to our worthy chairman, Sir William
Parsons, Baronet, for his propriety of conduct and
polite attention throughout the proceedings of this
day.
These resolutions were signed by Thomas Berry,
Esq., who acted as secretary to the meeting.
On the 20th of September 1784, several volunteer
corps were reviewed by General Sir William Parsons,
at Woodfield, near Birr. The right wing was formed
of the cavalry in the following order, viz., the Offer-
lane Blues, under Colonel Luke Flood, on the ex-
treme right; the Lorha Rangers, under Captain
Firman, in the centre ; and the Clanrikard Chasseurs,
under Colonel O'Moore, on the left. The centre divi-
sion of the army, commanded by Colonel Richard
Croasdale, was composed of the Mountmellick corp of
infantry, Colonel Lord Viscount Carlow; the Eglish
Rangers, under Major Thomas Berry; the Mary-
borough Fusileers, Colonel Sir John Parnell, Bart. ;
and the Eyrecourt Buffs, Colonel Giles Eyre;
flanked upon the right by the Parsonstown Artillery
and Mountmellick Grenadiers, and upon the left by
the Mountmellick Light Company. The left wing,
commanded by Colonel Thomas Bernard, junior, was
94 HISTORY OF BIRR.
composed of the Parsonstown Loyal Independents,
Colonel Sir William Parsons; the Clanrikard
Brigade, Colonel Darcy ; and the Mountain Eangers,
Colonel Thomas Bernard, junior ; flanked upon the
right by the Parsonstown Grenadiers, and upon the
left by the Parsonstown Light Company and Parsons-
town Artillery. The old name of Woodfield, where
this review took place, was Tullanaskeagh, meaning
the rising ground near the water. The old dwelling-
house here was burned during the war of 1641.
On the 12th of November 1787, there was a great
flood in the Birr river, the most impetuous and
highest known, either by history or tradition, to have
ever occurred. This river, as already mentioned, has
been always noted for sudden and impetuous floods ;
but on this occasion it rose to a most unusual height,
swept away the old bridge which theretofore crossed
the river at Brendan's Well, and inundated many
houses in the town. A record of this flood remained
at a late period on the oaken staircase of one of the
houses on the present old bridge of Birr, where
there was a mark with an inscription, showing that
this flood rose to the unprecedented height of seven
feet over the usual level of the river.
In February 1797, the first Assistant Barrister and
Chairman was appointed for the King's County, under
the Civil Bill Act, passed the previous year for the
first time in Ireland. Henry Doyel of Kildare Street,
Dublin,' Esq., Barrister-at-law, was the gentleman
then appointed, and he presided soon after at the first
HISTORY OF BIRR. !>">
Quarter Sessions ever held in Birr. What eminent
lawyers have presided, and numerous disputes been
decided ; and what curious scenes have taken place
at the Quarter Sessions of Birr during the time
elapsed since the year 1797 !
The disturbances did not reach any very alarming
height in Birr or the neighbourhood during the re-
bellion of 1798 ; but still, great religious animosity
prevailed, and some cruelties were practised there to
extort confessions from those supposed capable of giv-
ing information. Sir Laurence Parsons at this time took
no active part in affairs in Birr, which so offended
some persons in it, that they denounced him as a
rebel. They even carried their views so far as to
move a vote of censure against him in the Grand Jury
of the Quarter Sessions Court, held in Birr in that
year. The names of those composing that Jury are
still on record in the Peace Office of the King's County,
or at least were some years ago. One gentleman on
the Jury opposed the proceedings, but after much alter-
cation, the vote against Sir Laurence was passed in
the absence of the dissenting Juror. The only thing
done by Sir Laurence to bring this censure upon him
seemed to be his having declined to identify himself
with the violent party ; and also because he had
shortly before saved from transportation several per-
sons tried by court-martial, including two men named
Fitzpatrick, from Boveen, near Birr, one of whom,
Patrick Fitzpatrick, afterwards kept a shop in
Birr.
96 HISTORY OF EIRE.
About the same time, and owing to like causes, a
petition to Government against Sir Laurence Parsons
was prepared amongst the Protestants of Birr, and
was almost universally signed by them, even to Peter
Singen, the Birr bellman, who was chaired through
the town in derision to Sir Laurence. The signature
of Peter Singen, however, was affixed to the petition
as " Lord Maxwell," and the discovery of this threw
discredit on the whole transaction. One respectable
Protestant gentleman of the town not only refused to
take any part in these proceedings against Sir Laurence,
but he more than once saved him from personal violence
at the hands of drunken yeomanry. In after years,
when Sir Laurence had become Earl of Eosse, he still
acknowledged his ol}ligation to this gentleman, and to
his widow and family after his death, as appears from
letters and documents yet in existence. Soon after
these occurrences in Birr, Sir Laurence was stopped
by the yeomanry at the Five Alley, a few miles from
Birr, through which place then lay the road from Birr
to Dublin, where Sir Laurence was going. Arthur
Parkinson, of Whigsborough, was the man then on
guard at the Five Alley, who stopped Sir Laurence
until he procured a pass.
In the Summer of 1798, Charles Slavin was tried in
the old Market-house of Birr, on a charge of having
poisoned one Jackson, his master. Both were from
Grange, in the neighbourhood of Birr. Slavin, having
been found guilty, was hanged, or rather strangled,
at the old gaol of Birr, his executioner being a person
HISTORY OF BIRR. 97
named Lindsay. The prisoner was first suspended on
a platform between two cars, and was afterwards
drawn up from the ground by a rope from one of
the windows, while still endeavouring to cling to the
wall with his hands.
At this time also one Morressy, a Roman Catholic
cavalry sergeant, of the Dunkerrin Yeomen, was tried
by court-martial of yeomen in this old market-house
of Birr, on a charge of supplying the rebels with arms
and ammunition. Morressy having been found guilty,
was shot, pursuant to sentence, at the Harrow, near
Eathmore, by twelve of his own corps, who at first
refused to shoot him. There were three regiments of
regular troops present, with all the yeomanry of
the country. The prisoner was accompanied by
a priest in a carriage from the old gaol of Birr, and
sat with the clergyman on a bank at the place of
execution, engaged in prayer for about an hour and a
half.
Mr. Thomas Doolan, of Boveen, near Birr, was
murdered in his own house, about this period, and
two or three persons were hanged for it. It appeared
Doolan' s servant boy betrayed him, and made a signal
to the party outside, by changing a light, and he
also left the door open for them to walk in. Persons
named Loughnane, Broder, and Carroll were impli-
cated in this very cruel murder, and it was said that
one of the party actually lifted Doolan' s child from
his knee, in order to murder the father. The accused
parties were tried at Philipstown Assizes, and two or
o
98 HISTORY OF BIER.
three of them were executed at their own doors, at
Newtown, not far from Birr.
Soon after this several persons were flogged in
Birr, namely Flanagan, of Burkes Hill, for stealing
wool ; Grady, a labourer, for stealing flour from Mr.
Palmer's mill; and one Lamb, for stealing a shirt.
They were flogged by Moses Lindsay, and in reference
to this transaction, a local poet composed the follow-
ing at the time :
" Through Moses the law was of yore handed down,
Prohibiting 1 robbing and stealing ;
By Moses each thief now is whipp'd thro' the town,
When honesty's found to be failing."
The next remarkable event which presents itself in
regard to Birr, was of such a public, or rather
natorious nature, as to have been brought before the
notice of the then expiring Irish Parliament. For
the purpose of accomplishing a legislative Union
between Great Britain and Ireland, every means was
resorted to by those favourable to that measure. In
the opening of the year 1800, it was rumoured that a
meeting of magistrates and freeholders would be held
in Birr to petition against the Union. Upon hearing
this report, Major Eogers, who then commanded the
artillery in Birr, declared he would disperse the
meeting by force, if they attempted to assemble, and
he added, that he had applied to Government for
instructions. Some days after this several magistrates
and respectable inhabitants assembled in the old
market- house, then the sessions house of Birr, upon
HISTORY OF BIRR. 99
which Mr. Darby, High Sheriff of the County, went
and ordered them to disperse, intimating at the same
time, that if they did not do so, he would compel
them. As the meeting was thereupon about to dis-
perse, a gentleman named Wilson, came and informed
them that the army was approaching. The assembly,
however, voted the resolutions, but did not wait to
sign them ; and as they left the sessions house, they
saw a column of troops marching towards it, with
four pieces of cannon in front, and matches lighting,
and showing every disposition for an attack upon the
sessions house, which was such an old building, that
if it had been struck by a cannon shot it must have
fallen, and buried those assembled in the ruins.
Major Eogers on being spoken to on the subject of his
approaching in that hostile manner, answered that he
waited but a word from the Sheriff, and he would
blow them all to atoms ! In a few days afterwards,
Sir Laurence Parsons complained to the Irish House
of Commons, of this transaction, which he designated
as the greatest enormity, a high infringement upon
the privileges of Parliament, and a violation of the
liberties of the subject. He then proposed two resolu-
tions to the House, to the following effect : " First,
that to prevent by military force the freeholders of
any County from meeting to petition Parliament, is a
gross violation of the privileges of this House, and a
subversion of the constitution. Secondly, that Verny
Darby, Esq., and Major Eogers do attend at the bar
of this House, on Wednesday next." Mr. Bowes
100 HISTORY OP BIRR.
Daly seconded the motion, and reprobated such vio-
lent conduct, hoping that the country members would
make a common cause of it. Lord Castlereagh, in
reply, said that he had never before heard a word on
the subject, and on part of the Government he dis-
claimed any connection with the alleged conduct of
the Sheriff of the King's County ; and he also found
fault with the manner in which Sir Laurence had
brought the subject before the House. In the end,
however, Mr. Darby and Major Rogers were ordered
to attend at the bar of the House; but it appears, that
on their doing so, their conduct was applauded rather
than censured, and it was well known that soon after-
wards both of them were appointed to good situations.
This transaction is fully detailed in Plowden's History
of Ireland.
CHAPTER VIII.
IN 1803, Henry Doyel, Esq., the first Assistant Bar-
rister for the King's County, died, and Thomas Clare
Parsons, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, and brother of Sir
Laurence Parsons, was appointed to succeed him, and
Mr. Parsons held the office until his death in 1825.
The building of Birr Barracks was commenced in
1809, and completed in three years. These barracks
were intended to accommodate two regiments of
infantry, and were built by Mr. Bernard Mullins. The
present Sessions House and Bridewell of Birr, were
erected about the same time.
In December 1812, a great meeting of "The pro-
testant inhabitants of the King's County," convened
by George Drought, Esq., the High Sheriff, was held
in Birr, " to pronounce " on the claims for religious
equality, which were then being made by the Eoman
Catholics of Ireland. This meeting, with other
resolutions adverse to the Roman Catholics, passed
the following: " Resolved that as it has been asserted
by oui' Roman Catholic fellow subjects, in various
publications, that the majority of the Protestants of
Ireland approve of an unqualified and unconditional
102 HISTORY OF BIRR.
repeal of all the laws which affect the Eoman Catholic
body, we deem it necessary to declare that this is
not our sentiment, and we believe that but a very
small portion of the Protestants of this Island are of
that opinion." The meeting finally resolved that
petitions be prepared for both Houses of Parliament,
expressive of the sentiment contained in the resolu-
tions. It is right to mention, that Messrs. Maurice
N. O'Connor, of Mount Pleasant ; Armstrong, of Gal-
len; and "Warburton of Garryhinch, with Colonel
O'Moore, all attended this meeting, and, on part of their
Eoman Catholic fellow countrymen, protested against
and opposed the proceedings, but in vain. The Par-
sonstown Gazette newspaper, published in Birr at the
time, by Mr. Joseph Bull, contained a full report of
this remarkable, but illiberal, meeting.
The Protestant Church, now so great an ornament
to Birr, was built in the year 1815. This very fine
and handsome edifice, is said to have originally cost
8,000, and there have been several improvements
made in and about it since. The Protestant Church
of Birr has for many years been remarkable lor the
numerous and respectable congregation attending
there. In it are several nice cenotaphs, amongst
which is conspicuous, one commemorating Laurence,
Earl of Eosse, who died in 1841. One of the Com-
munion cups is old and very interesting, and bears the
following inscription : " The Communion cup of the
Parishe Churche of Parsonstowne, in the King's
Countie, Anno Domini, 1636." The paten or cover
HISTORY OF BIRR. 103
is inscribed, " The cover of the Communion Cup
of Parsonstowne, 1636." It has been seen (p. 48),
that Eobert Sheeply was Vicar of Birr, in the year
1627, and, from an entry in the rental already
referred to, there appears to have been a lease
of 53 acres of land near Birr, made to him
as " Eobert Sheepley, Clarke," on the 8th of
July 1626. The Eev. Marcus M'Causland is now,
and for many years has been, the respected Eector
of Birr.
In 1817, the present " Oxmantown Bridge " was
erected at Birr, after the design of a bridge over the
river Anio, in Italy, which design was selected by
the then Earl of Eosse. The name it bears was given
the new bridge in honour of Baron Oxmantown, the
Earl's heir apparent. Mr. Michael Downey, mason,
was the builder of this bridge originally, but the
arches were lowered by Grand Jury presentment, in
1855. As the appellation Oxmantown is connected
with Birr in different ways, it may be well to mention
that this word seems to be a corruption for " Osman-
town," which name was given to a green formerly
on the north side of Dublin, and including some of
the northern parts of the City. This green was
inhabited by Danes, who were sometimes called Ost-
men, or men of the East, from whence it took its
name. There were great feats of archery performed
there by the notorious robber, Eobin Hood, in 1189,
as stated by Hollinshed in his Chronicles. A con-
siderable portion of this place belonged to the first
104 HISTORY OF EIRE.
Lord Eosse, and hence he took the title of Viscount
from it.
The foundation stone of the present very fine
Roman Catholic Church of Birr, was laid on the 1st
of August 1817. There were then several coins
deposited in this foundation stone, as also a brass
plate, with the following inscription : " On Friday
the 1st of August 1817, the first stone of this chapel,
named St. Brendan's Chapel, and dedicated to the
worship of Almighty God, was laid by William, Lord
Oxmantown, in presence of his father, the Right
Hon. Laurence, Earl of Rosse, the Rev. Philip
Meagher, P.P., the Committee appointed to superin-
tend the building of it, and a large concourse of
parishioners, who assembled on the occasion." The
building of the Birr Roman Catholic Church was
finished on the 1st of August 1824, just seven years
after it was commenced, but in some years after it
was considerably altered and remodeled, while the
Very Rev. John Spain, V.G., was Parish Priest.
To this very rev. gentleman, the parish is also
indebted for the beautiful stained glass window behind
the altar in this church, as also for the erection of
the very elegant convent adjoining, and the great
advantage to the town and neighbourhood, from
the presence of the good and religious ladies who
inhabit it.
The Very Rev. Mr. Spain died on the 10th of May
1848, and was buried on the east side of the altar
in the church which he so much improved. Above
HISTORY OF BIRR. 105
his remains is a handsome mural tablet, with the
following appropriate inscription : " Sacred to the
memory of the Very Eev. John Spain, P.P., of Birr,
who died of fever, on the 10th of May 1848, in the
52nd year of his age. In him the church lost a
bright ornament, his country a distinguished advocate,
and the poor their best friend and supporter. This
temple remodeled and ornamented, and the convent of
the Sisters of Mercy, erected by him, will be lasting
memorials of his zeal for the glory of God, and the
interests of the poor. May he rest in peace." It
could with truth be added, that the very rev.
deceased had been a true and faithful friend, and an
accomplished scholar.
On the opposite side of the altar is a somewhat
similar and also very handsome tablet, erected by the
Eoman Catholic Clergy of the Diocese to the memory
of the late Eight Eev. Dr. Kennedy, Eoman Catholic
Bishop of Killaloe, who had been Parish Priest of
Birr for a considerable time. The Eight Eev. Dr.
Kennedy died at Birr in 1850, and was interred in
the Eoman Catholic Church there. The present altar
in this church was erected to the memory of the late
Very Eev. John Egan, Parish Priest of Birr, who died
in October 1870. This is a very fine work, and is
chiefly composed of Caen stone, beautifully moulded.
The Gothic shafts are of Irish red marble, highly
polished, and the altar table is Sicilian marble. The
principal piece the " Pieta " represents the dead
Christ, with the "Mater Dolor osa" in a kneeling
HISTORY OF BIER.
attitude. The entire reflects great credit on the native
artists by whom it was executed. The Very Eev. Mr.
Egan, deceased, has been succeeded by the Very Eev.
Michael Bugler, Y.GL, the present respected Parish
Priest of Birr.
The following may be interesting in connexion
with Birr Eoman Catholic Church :
It has been seen (p. 76) that the Eev. Thomas
Kennedy was Eoman Catholic Parish Priest of Birr in
1689, and that as such he was for some time in pos-
session of the old Church of Birr, and so continued
until after the battle of the Boyne. In conse-
quence of political changes, and the oppressive state
of the law, it became necessary soon after this time for
Eoman Catholic Parish Priests to be registered, with
the names of their sureties and other particulars. "We
accordingly find the Eev. William Shaghnussy thus
registered as Parish Priest of " Birr, Loughkeen, and
Kilcoleman," at a General Sessions, held at Philips-
town, on the 10th of July 1704, being the reign of
Queen Anne, and that he was so returned to the
Council Office, Dublin. The other necessary particu-
lars then given were, that he resided at Birr, was
sixty years of age, and had been ordained at Dublin in
1667, by Patrick Plunkett, Bishop of Ardagh, and
that his sureties were, " Michael Archer, of Birr,
Merchant, and Luke Usher, of the same."
It appears (p. 70) that members of the Archer
family were resident in Birr at an early date, but there
is -scarcely any family whose connexion with Birr can
HISTORY OF BIRR. 107
be traced for such a length of time to a few years
back, as that of Usher. The name of this very res-
pectable old family was originally Neville, but we learn
that one of the family having been usher to King John,
the name was changed to that of the office, as was then
frequently done. Some of the family, from whom was
descended the celebrated Archbishop Usher, came
with King John to Ireland, and we find a Robert
Usher settled in Birr in 1690, and that his house
was burned there during the troubles of that period.
An ancestor of Luke Usher, of 1704, named Noble
Luke Usher, was settled at Gurteen, in the County of
Tipperary, not far from Birr, about the year 1798.
He was married to a lady of the very respectable
family of Lalor, of the County Tipperary, and having
been a Justice of the Peace in these troubled times,
he so conducted himself as to be named, and still re-
membered as "the poor man's friend." The younger
brother of this gentleman was father of the late Noble
Luke Usher, of Birr, who is yet remembered, and his
name respected, by many of the inhabitants. He was
chairman of a public meeting of Roman Catholics at
Birr, held on the 24th of February 1833, to petition
against the threatened introduction of martial law into
Ireland. Joseph F. Usher, M.D., now of Ballarat
City, Australia, is son of the late Noble Luke Usher,
of Birr, and there are few who know the family and
its connexion with Birr, but wish him success in his
honourable profession, so far from his native town.
In the commencement of 1820, the extraordinary
108 HISTORY OF BIKE.
occurrence commonly called the " Siege of Birr," and
the " Birr Rebellion," took place there. About this
time there were some disturbances in the neighbour-
hood of Birr, which, although not of much conse-
quence, yet, owing to unfounded rumours of large
parties of Eibbonmen having been seen, caused con-
siderable anxiety to the authorities, and most of the
inhabitants of the town. At length the alarm reached
such a height that a meeting of " the magistrates and
principal inhabitants of Parsonstown and its vicinity,"
was held on the 30th of December 1819, the Earl of
Eosse in the chair, at which it was resolved that an
association, consisting of " both horsemen and foot,"
be established, and that it be called " the Parsonstown
Loyal Association.'' In some days after this, a docu-
ment entitled " a Declaration made and subscribed on
the 13th of January 1820, by the peaceable inhabitants
of the Parish of Birr," was signed by a number of the
people who thereby bound themselves to assist the
authorities if necessary, and also to give up their
arms for safe keeping if required. At this time there
resided in Birr a printer and stationer named Thomas
Legge, and while the public mind was in this very
excited state, Mr. Legge's wife commenced to bring
to Birr castle to the Earl of Eosse, a series of docu-
ments purporting to be threatening letters, which she
stated had been brought or sent to her or her husband
by a penitent amongst the Eibbonmen, by whom, as
mentioned in these documents, his Lordship and many
more of the people of the town were to be slaughtered.
HISTORY OF BIRR. 109
Thus on the 28th of February 1820, she brought to
Lord Eosse two documents purporting to be from this
Ribbonman, and which were as follows : " Mr. Legge,
you are requested by a friend to deliver the inclosed
letter to Lord Rosse's own hands yourself immediately,
for if you don't, your life and the life of every Pro-
testant in Birr will answer for it ; so be quick, for there
is no time to be lost." The "inclosed letter" ran
thus : " My Lord, As a sworn Ribbon Man I am
bound to keep my oath, but conscience tells me as a
Christian I ought to save the lives of my fellow
brethern as far as I can without breaking that oath,
so I have taken the earliest opportunity of informing
your Lordship of the dangerous state you and your
Town's Men stand in ; I am informed your Castle and
Town will positively be attacked on Wednesday
night towards day if there be not something done to
prevent it in time. Your life and Lord Oxmantown
and the life of every man who has any power is par-
ticularly aimed at." Having delivered these docu-
ments to Lord Rosse on the 28th of February, Mrs.
Legge again went to the castle on the following day
with another letter directed to him, and which was as
follows : " My Lord, Has Mrs. Legge told you any-
thing concerning your servants, ask her if she has not
and I am sure she will tell you for every information
tljat is in my power to give you I certainly will but
through no other person but her, my reason for it
you shall know another time. Tell John Drought he
has the greatest Rebel in town for a servant except
110 HISTORY OF BIRR.
what you have got yourself There was no less than
Five hundred Armed Men within a mile of your town
last night and were it not that I gave a false alarm
there would have been some mischief done It was
one out of your own house that sent word of the town
being prepared I thought to have seen Mrs. Legge
to-day but I am so watched I can't stir You shall
soon hear from me again That is our crest." The
"crest" alluded to was a kind of cross, with four
letters within the arms, and which " crest" was at the
commencement and end of the foregoing document.
With these and other somewhat similar produc-
tions, the fabricator went to Birr castle several times,
and there generally kept her face covered to conceal
herself from the servants, as she said, and so well did
this self-commissioned envoy perform her part, that
she appeared to faint from fright whilst relating the
particulars of the intended massacre. Whether these
fits were the effects of momentary excitement, or were
only feigned, they certainly had great weight in giv-
ing the frightful story the semblance of truth. At all
events, the Countess of Rosse, while these delusions
continued, was in a dreadful state of suspense, expect-
ing every moment to see her husband and children
fall beneath the blows of some ruthless assassin. To
provide against the threatened attack, most of the
windows of the castle were then built up with stone
and mortar by masons selected for the purpose, and
from whom Roman Catholics were carefully excluded,
as being more likely to be in league with the expected
HISTORY OF BIRR. Ill
Ribbonmen. So general was the alarm throughout
the town, that an armed association was kept up the
entire time, in which, although Protestants and Roman
Catholics were united, it was with mutual feelings of
suspicion and distrust. Two pieces of cannon, which
had remained at Birr Castle since the memorable time
of the Volunteers, were manned by such of the in-
habitants as understood anything about the artillery
service, and in compliance with the urgent request of
the Earl of Rosse and the magistrates of the neighbour-
hood, Government ordered the 44th Regt. of Foot,
then quartered at Templemore, to proceed by a forced
march to the instant relief of Birr. " When arrived
in Roscrea," said an officer of that gallant corps, " we
expected to get some rest and refreshment, but to our
great disappointment, we were ordered to proceed with
unabated rapidity to Birr, which we reached in about
four hours, after a march of nineteen miles. We there
saw consternation depicted on every face. Most of the
people had some kind of arms or other, and in the
square were two peices of artillery ready primed, and
with lighted matches."
Such was the terror and confusion which then
reigned in Birr, and to complete the business, one of
the false letters recommended to get a few shots fired
in the castle demesne, but fortunately this suggestion
was not complied with, for these shots were intended
as the signal for general destruction. The people of
the town were to think them the commencement of an
attack from the imaginary enemy, and thereupon
112 HISTORY OP BIRR.
Protestants and Eoman Catholics, who had already
been induced to feel such mutual distrust of each
other, were to be engaged in conflict. "We should not
despair, however, even when things are at the worst,
and in the present instance, " a lucky chance which
oft decides the fate of mighty monarchs," led to the
detection of this infamous contrivance. Mrs. Legge
having been pressed to discover the author of the
letters, fortunately pitched upon an industrious man
of as good character as any person of the same means
in the country. This, added to some other fortunate
circumstances, having created suspicion, led to more
minute inquiry. Then the talents of the performer
were again called forth, and more letters were written
in an altered, angry tone, denouncing all who should
attempt an investigation. However, some account-
books were discovered, in which appeared the same
remarkable handwriting as in the letters, and upon
this a public meeting was held, and a committee, com-
posed principally of magistrates, was appointed to in-
quire, into the transaction.
The principal members of this committee held
several meetings in the bed-chamber where the writer
of this account of the occurrence was then confined
from the effects of an accident which he met with
when travelling. In this chamber the Earl of Rosse
deposed upon oath to a long information detailing all
the facts, as far as he was concerned, and several
others, including two or three magistrates, also made
sworn depositions on the subject. These depositions,
HISTORY OF BIRR. 113
or copies of them, are in the writer's possession, but
are too long to be set out in full in this work. From
them, however, sufficient evidence appeared upon
oath to show that the entire plot was the contrivance
of the bearer of the letters, and that an inferior trades-
man in Birr was intrusted with some petty part in
the management. Sir Jonas Green, afterwards Ke-
corder of Dublin, who was consulted, gave his opinion,
however, that the author of this nefarious plot could
not be prosecuted with a certainty of conviction, in
consequence of a point of law which bore upon the
peculiar circumstances of the case ; and this opinion
was the cause of the prosecution having been reluc-
tantly abandoned. The ultimate object of this plot
still remains, and probably will for ever remain, a
secret ; and lucky as was its early exposure, still
some accidents were occasioned by the hasty, armed
preparations for defence, and the subsequent occur-
rences. Thus ended this most audacious contrivance,
commonly called "the Birr Kebellion," and "the
Siege of Birr," by which, in the nineteenth century,
an artful, designing woman duped and terrified for a
time, not only a learned, astute nobleman and poli-
tician, but likewise most of the inhabitants of the
large town of Birr.
In 1820, Wesley Chapel, in Cumberland Street,
Birr, was erected, and this date appears on a tablet in
front. This very neat place of worship has been much
improved in late years, and is attended by a
considerable congregation.
H
114 HISTORY OF EIRE.
The first of the extraordinary scenes which at dif-
ferent times occurred in Birr Quarter Sessions Court,
between the Assistant Barristers then presiding there,
and a portion of the magistrates of the district, took
place on the 27th of July 1822, when Thomas Clere
Parsons, brother to the Earl of Eosse, and who had
been appointed in 1803, was still Assistant Barrister
for the King's County. The origin of this very
remarkable and unusual proceeding, which was not
concluded until October Sessions, 1822, was as
follows : On the 5th of July 1822, one Minton, an
inhabitant of Birr, lodged a complaint before a
magistrate who lived five or six miles from the town,
against a widow named Kerley, another inhabitant of
the town, for recovery of five shillings or so, claimed
to be due for labour. Upon the hearing of the com-
plaint, the defendant was adjudged to pay the money,
and a warrant was granted to levy the sum " and
charges," without specifying the amount, and the
poor woman's cow having been seized under this
warrant, she was advised to lodge an appeal, and
which she accordingly did.
When this appeal came on at Quarter Sessions on
the 27th of July, the Order appealed against had not
been returned by the convicting Justice, and the case
having been then adjourned to the last day of the
Sessions, it was then further adjourned to the follow-
ing October Sessions, in consequence of the absence of
the Order. Upon this adjournment of the case, eight
of the Justices attending the Court of Quarter Sessions
HISTORY OF BIRR. 115
retired to the magistrates' chamber, leaving the
Assistant Barrister and the Justice who had taken the
appeal, the only occupants of the bench. It appeared
that these eight Justices were of opinion that no
Justice should take an appeal to an Order, without a
previous communication with the Justice by whom
the Order had been made. As to this, the Justice
who had taken the appeal in the present case differed
with them, and the Assistant Barrister agreed in
opinion with him. On retiring to the chamber, the
eight Justices sent to request the Assistant Barrister
to join them there, but he declined to do so, as he and
the other Justice were then engaged in Court on the
trial of a criminal case. Upon this, the eight Justices
in chamber passed two resolutions condemning the
conduct of their brother Justice in having taken the
appeal, and they also resolved, " That we think it ex-
pedient to request the attendance of every magistrate
on the first day of the Crown business at the next
Sessions of Birr, for the purpose of appointing a
chairman, and taking this subject into consideration,
as well as other matters relating to magisterial duties."
These eight Justices then also resolved, "That we
direct the Clerk of the Peace to send a copy of these
resolutions to every magistrate in the B)^r District."
Mr. Parsons, the chairman against whom these
resolutions were principally directed, published, before
the next Sessions, a long reply in the shape of an
address to the magistrates of the King's County. To
this address there appeared as a rejoinder, a pamphlet
1 1 6 HISTOBY OF BIRR.
from " a freeholder of the King's County," addressed
to Mr. Parsons, and intended to prove " his legal in-
capacity to fill the situation of chairman of the King's
County Quarter Sessions." The day for deciding the
question at length arrived. The October Sessions of
1822 set in, and upon Thursday, the 10th of that
month the first day for disposing of criminal busi-
ness there assembled in Birr the most numerous
meeting of magistrates that ever was seen in the
King's County. It may be interesting, after the lapse
of nearly fifty years, to peruse the names of about
sixty magistrates who then assembled, and which will
be found (No. 12) in the Appendix. The humble
parties to the appeal having in the meantime settled
their little difference between themselves, it became
unnecessary to enter into the matter on their account.
Never was better exemplified the truth of the adage,
" Scepe scintilla parva magnum incendium excitavit"
The business commenced by Colonel L' Estrange, one
of the magistrates, adverting to the resolutions of the
former Sessions, and to the chairman's published
reply, and he called upon the eight Eesolutionists to
withdraw their resolutions. Upon this, one of these
gentlemen agreed to have the resolutions withdrawn,
in order, as he said, to avoid a division amongst the
magistrates. It was then moved by Colonel
L'Estrange, and seconded by Thomas Ryder Pepper,
Esq., that the business should proceed as usual with
the usual chairman ; but after some discussion, it was
proposed by Colonel Atkinson, and seconded by Mr.
HISTORY OF BIKR. 117
Palmer, as an amendment, that the Earl of Rosse
should be appointed chairman. Finally, however, the
original resolution to proceed with the usual chairman,
was carried with the most enthusiastic applause per-
haps ever heard in a Court of Justice, the peals of
which, echoing round the Jury-rooms and different
parts of the court, acquired new strength as they re-
sounded through the town, the streets of which were
crowded with persons of all ranks, anxious to show
their joy at the result
Mr. Parsons, the respected chairman of the King's
County Quarter Sessions Court, died in August 1825,
and on the 3rd of May 1827, the solemn and imposing
ceremony of laying the first stone of a cenotaph to his
memory took place in Birr. In some time after his
death, a public meeting was held in Birr to offer a
tribute to his memory, and it was there resolved,
"That a handsome Memorial be erected by public
subscription, to perpetuate at once the said Thomas
Clere Parsons' memory, and our regard for departed
excellence." This meeting appointed a committee to
carry out the object in view, and a subscription list
was opened, the Rev. Mr. Adamson being treasurer.
The subscribers after some time comprised not only
all the gentry and respectable traders of the town and
neighbourhood, but likewise many persons resident
elsewhere, including the Earl of Charleville and Daniel
O'Connell, M.P., afterwards "the Liberator.'' The
amount of subscriptions having reached over 200,
the committee, on their part, unanimously adopted the
118 HISTORY OF EIRE.
design of an obelisk, as furnished by Bernard Mullins,
Esq., which was intended to be about seventy feet
high, and would resemble the Wellington Testimonial
in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, but be smaller, and
more beautiful. An appropriate site for this obelisk
was selected at Scurragh, near the town, where, on a
rising ground over the river, and visible from all sides,
it was intended to be a lasting testimonial to departed
virtue.
At length, everything being ready for the laying of
the first stone, a numerous meeting of the subscribers,
of which the late Colonel Bernard, M.P., was chair-
man, was held in Birr on the 3rd of May 1827, when
the report of the committee was unanimously approved
of. The meeting being over, the gentlemen who
attended it proceeded to the Court-house, where the
Quarter Sessions was adjourned by "W. P. Cruise,
Esq., then chairman, to enable himself, the Grand
Jury, and officers of the court, to join in the ceremony
of the day. From thence the procession moved for-
ward through Cumberland Street, the Square, and
over Oxmantown Bridge, to Scurragh, where the
foundation had been previously excavated. The
following was the order of the procession : A party
of police with arms reversed, two deep ; Children of
the Boys' Free School, which had been patronized
by Mr. Parsons, four deep ; the Attorneys practising
at Sessions, two deep ; the Sheriff of the King's
County, bearing his wand of office ; the Deputy Clerk
of the Peace ; W. P. Cruise, Esq., then chairman of the
HISTORY OF BIRR. 119
County ; Colonel Bernard, M.P., with apron and silver
trowel ; Mr. Thomas Lalor Cooke, the Secretary, and
the writer of this, bearing the design of the cenotaph,
with a brass plate to be set in the first stone, this
plate having an inscription to show why the monument
was erected ; Major Holmes, who had succeeded the
Rev. Mr. Adamson as Treasurer, bearing the coins in-
tended to be deposited in the first stone ; John Lloyd,
Esq., chairman of the committee, accompanied by the
other members of it, Lieutenant-Colonel Desbrisay,
L.R.A., and John Wetherelt, and Bartholomew War-
burton, Esqrs., Justices of the Peace. Then followed
numerous private gentlemen, including the Grand
Jury at Quarter Sessions ; the procession being closed
by a party of dismounted police.
When the procession had arrived at the intended
site, Colonel Bernard laid the first stone, with the
usual solemnities; after which Major Holmes, as
Treasurer, deposited the current coins in it, and they
were covered with the brass inscription plate by the
Secretary. Immediately after the stone was laid, the
Chairman of the Committee, in an impressive manner,
proclaimed aloud as follows : " The cenotaph of
which Colonel Bernard, M.P., has this day laid the
first stone, is hereby solemnly dedicated to the memory
of our lamented neighbour, Thomas C. Parsons, Esq.,
deceased, late Assistant Barrister for the King's
County." The vast assemblage present, consisting of
about seven thousand persons, then quietly dispersed,
testifying by their solemn silence the respect in which
120 HISTORY OF BIRR.
they held their late chairman. All the shops in the
town were closed during the procession, in token of
the unfeigned sorrow, and great respect of the owners,
for one who had been most useful in the town and
neighbourhood.
The first stone having been thus laid, the work
progressed but slowly, in consequence of much delay
on the part of the contractor ; and when at length,
after a considerable time, the funds collected had been
expended, the testimonial was not completed. . The
greater portion of it was erected, however, and was
beautifully and elaborately executed in cut and carved
stone, so as to give an idea of what this testimonial
would have been if finished. Unfortunately, however,
the work was left thus unfinished until late years,
when, instead of being completed by the people of
Birr, or, if necessary, by the family of the deceased to
whose memory it had been dedicated, even the por-
tion of the testimonial already erected, with its
materials, which had cost the subscribers nearly 200,
disappeared altogether ! In former times the Goths
and Vandals, as we are told, did not hesitate to
destroy and carry away even the memorials of the
dead, and they were justly execrated by all civilized
nations for doing so; but in late days there are few
instances such as the disappearance of the "Parsons
Testimonial " in Birr. It is said that the materials
of this unfinished testimonial dedicated to the honour
of the dead, and paid for by friends who have now
themselves mostly passed away have been used in
HISTORY OE BIRR. 121
the erection of a certain edifice in or near Birr. If
this be so, the building erected with these materials,
instead of being a credit to any person, should be con-
sidered a lasting memorial of the degeneracy of the
times in which it was raised ; at least until restitution
be made to the dead, and the " Parsons Testimonial "
of 1827 be erected.
Previous to 1830, prosecutions at Quarter Sessions
in Ireland, no matter how serious the offence, were
carried on by the complainants themselves, or their
Solicitors, without the intervention of the Crown.
This practice, however, was found to be very objec-
tionable, and about the time mentioned, the Govern-
ment determined to try the experiment of having
criminal cases at Quarter Sessions in Ireland prosecuted
by an officer of the Crown. The King's County was
then selected for the purpose of this experiment, and
a resident of Birr, Mr. Thomas Lalor Cooke, Solicitor,
the humble individual who writes this, had the honour
of being appointed by the Attorney- General of tho
day, to act as the first public prosecutor at Quarter
Sessions in Ireland. After some years' experience in
the King's County, the experiment was found so suc-
cessful, that in 1835 it was determined to make the
office of Sessional Crown Prosecutor general, by ap-
pointing public prosecutors at Quarter Sessions in
every county in Ireland. Thus, from the successful
result of the experiment tried in the person of a resi-
dent of Birr, in prosecuting on behalf of the Crown at
the Quarter Sessions of Birr, and other Quarter
122 HISTOEY OF EIRE.
Sessions divisions of the King's County, originated
the present most useful office of Sessional Crown Pro-
secutor in Ireland. In the Appendix (No. 13) will
be found a letter from that eminent Judge, the late
Sir John Howley who was chairman of the King's
County during the time this experiment was being
made in which, written in 1835, he testifies on the
authority of the Attorney- General of the day, that it
was owing to the success which had attended the ex-
perimental appointment in the King's County, the
office of Sessional Crown Prosecutor was then about
to be made general in Ireland.
In the year 1836 there took place at the January
Quarter Sessions another of those extraordinary scenes
for which Birr Quarter Sessions Court appears to have
been noted. John Gibson, Esq., was then chairman
for the county, and the business of the Sessions com-
menced as usual with the registration of Parliamentary
Voters. It seems, however, that the chairman's de-
cisions in regard to the franchise were not, in the
opinion of those representing the Conservative in-
terest, what they should have been ; and, accordingly,
a circular was issued to the Conservative magistrates
of the County, requiring their attendance on the first
day of the Crown business of the Sessions, which took
place in two or three days afterwards. In compliance
with this circular, an unusual number of magistrates
of Conservative political opinions, assembled at Birr
on the morning of the commencement of the Crown
business. Many of these gentlemen were not resident
HISTORY OF BIRI;. 1 '2:\
in the King's County at all, and others who did reside
in the County, were not in the habit of attending
Quarter Sessions at Birr. The magistrates who thus
assembled, on coming to the town on this morning,
instead of going to the Court as they arrived, and as
magistrates attending Quarter Sessions usually do,
first met at a hotel, and then proceeded in a body
through the street from the hotel to the Court-house.
A few magistrates at the Court, who were not of the
party, attempted to oppose the proceedings, but in
vain ; for the Conservative Justices crowded in upon
the bench, where Mr. Gibson, the chairman, was then
deciding civil suits, and without giving any reason for
doing so, passed a resolution that Colonel Lloyd, one
of themselves, should take the chair. Upon this Mr.
Gibson, quietly and with dignity retired, and having
taken off his wig and gown, returned to the bench and
took a place upon it, but not in the chair. The busi-
ness then proceeded in the usual way, except that
Colonel Lloyd acted as chairman, while Mr. Gibson,
at his request, charged the jury in the several cases.
This proceeding of a portion of the King's County
magistrates, in thus assembling, pursuant to a
circular to expel the chairman from the chair at
Quarter Sessions, caused Lord Morpeth, then Chief
Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to apply
to Colonel Lloyd and some of the other magistrates
for an explanation, but nothing further of any
consequence appears to have been then done in
regard to the matter, although it was much dis-
124 HISTORY OF BIRR.
cussed by the press and otherwise, at the
time.
At the following Sessions of Birr, the Crown busi-
ness of which commenced on the 8th of April, Mr.
Gibson, as soon as the magistrates appeared upon the
bench, adverted to incorrect reports regarding him
and his conduct in respect to the registration of
voters, which had even appeared in several news-
papers since the former Sessions. After these remarks
by Mr. Gibson, Lieut.-Col. Llyod was moved from the
Quarter Sessions chair, on the motion of Col. the
Hon. John C. Westenra, M.P., seconded by Mcholas
Fitzsimon, M.P., and on the motion of Mr. Bennett,
seconded by Mr. French, Mr. Gibson was again
placed in the chair. Thus ended these very unpleasant
and unusual differences between a portion of the
magistracy and the chairman of the King's County.
On the 5th of May 1853, the first telegram of a
public nature was sent from Birr to Dublin. It
was sent on this the fair-day of Birr, at eleven
minutes past two o'clock P.M., and was published
the same afternoon in the Dublin Saunders's News
Letter. This first telegram from Birr was as follows :
" Parsonstown Fair, May 5th. This was the
largest and one of the best fairs ever held here. There
was an immense supply of both sheep and cattle, and
sufficient buyers for all at remunerative prices.
Prime sheep sold higher than last year, and good
cattle at about the same rates. Pigs were scarce and
dear."
HISTORY OF BIRR. 125
In December 1848 a remarkable event the pre-
sentation of a Crimean Gun to the inhabitants of the
town took place at Birr. Although this gun is not
to be seen in the town, visitors to the Earl of Rosse's
demesne, near the town, will probably have seen a
gun in front of the castle, in the space enclosed within
the fortifications erected there some years since, and
which gun to strangers might naturally appear to be
the property of the proprietor of the place. This is
not so, however, as this gun so placed is the public
property of the town of Birr, being one of the guns,
taken from the Russians at Sebastopol, and which, in
December 1848, was with much ceremony presented
"to the inhabitants of the town of Birr," by the
Secretary of State for War. This gun was then de-
livered into the custody of the Town Commissioners of
Birr for the people of the town, but it being the wish
of the then Earl of Rosse to have the gun at his
castle, a majority of the Commissioners decided to
have it placed there in its present position, and not in
a public place in the town. The writer of this ac-
count of the transaction had been previously one of
the Town Commissioners for Birr, and at this time
was not long after completing his year of office as
chairman of that body. Believing, however, that it
was contrary to his duty to be a party to disposing in
this way of the trophy so presented to the town, he
resigned his seat as such Commissioner, and had a
protest against their conduct in the matter, served
upon the other Commissioners. This occurrence is
126 HISTORY OF BIER.
mentioned here principally because it seems right to
put on record, in such a way as may not be forgotten
hereafter, the fact that although they have it not in
their possession as was intended, still this Crimean
Gun is the property of the inhabitants of Birr. It is
also satisfactory to know that their gun is in safe
keeping, where according to the opinion of an
eminent authority the inhabitants of Birr should
have access, not as a favour, but as matter of right,
while their gun remains there.
In concluding this account of ancient Birr with
some comparatively recent events there which seemed
likely to be interesting, or worthy of notice, the
writer wishes to add a few words on behalf of the
ancient name of this place. It has been seen that
the name " Birr "is of very great antiquity, and
it has been also seen how, and when, the name " Par-
sonstown" more fashionable in modern times
has originated. There can be no objection that the
rights of the family to whom the place belongs
should be recognised by the occasional use of the
modern name " Parsonstown," although none of
the titles of that family have been taken from
Birr or its neighbourhood. The name of the
parish, derived from the name of the town, must,
however, always remain " Birr," and even the
residence of the Parsons family there, still retains
the name " Birr Castle." It is to be hoped,
therefore, that the inhabitants of this ancient
town will not, by disuse, cause the original and
HISTORY OF BIRR. 127
proper name of the town of Birr also, to be altogether
obliterated and forgotten.
The names of the principal inhabitants and traders
of Birr in the year 1823, will be found (No. 14) in
the Appendix.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE TOWN OF ROSCREA AND MONAINCHA ABBEY.
THE very old and interesting town of Eoscrea is
situate in the parish, of Roscrea, barony of Ikerrin, and
County Tipperary. From nine to ten miles south of Birr,
Roscrea is connected with that town by the railway
passing from Birr to the Great Southern and Western
line at Ballybrophy. There is also a line of rail from
Roscrea to Nenagh.
The early name of Roscrea was Roskree, and it
is thus written in the patent granting it to the
Ormond family, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign
of Henry VI 1 1. The name Roskree seems to be
derived from riasc (reesk), a marsh, and ere, which
means earth, the keel of a ship, and the Creed, and
in the Life of St. Cronan it is called Stagnum Ore,
which seems the same thing. Usher calls it Insula
Roscree, and Burke designates it Fluminus Insulam
Roscreensem. This place was also called in ancient
times Ruif- Ore and Rog- Ore. Roscrea formerly gave
title to a bishopric, comprising the entire of Ely
0' Carroll, together with the barony of Ikerrin, in the
ROSCREA. 129
County Tipperary, but about the end of the twelfth,
or beginning of the thirteenth century, this bishopric,
and that of Iniscathra (Scattery Island), were united
to the see of Killaloe. Eoscrea seems likewise to have
been one of the early manors in Ireland, for in 1318,
Matthew MacCragh, Bishop of Killaloe, with consent
of the dean, archdeacon, and chapter, surrendered it
to the Crown as such, receiving in lieu a grant of
three carucates and eighty-four acres of land at New-
castle, near Dublin. The record of this surrender
is extant amongst the Patent Eolls of Edward II.,
and the name is there spelled Roskre.
Eoscrea, according to Archdall's Monasticon and the
authorities there mentioned, owes its origin in a great
measure to St. Cronan ; for, " St. Cronan, the son of
Odran, built a cell on a small island in Loughkee, but
finding that situation too retired, he erected a sump-
tuous monastery near the King's highway, where a
celebrated city afterwards sprang up, now only a
small town, and called Eoscrea. After the performance
of many miracles, the holy and aged founder of this
house, ended an exemplary life on the 10th of May,
in the beginning of the seventh century, and his feast
(as patron of Eoscrea) is held on the 28th of April."
St. Cronan and his father were natives of Ely
0' Carroll, and his mother was named Coemri, and
was from Corcubaskin, in the County Clare.
Few places for the size can boast of more interest-
ing antiquarian remains, and in greater variety, than
Eoscrea, and the appearance of the town from the hill
i
130 ROSCREA. '
over which, between Dromakeenan and Roscrea, the
road from Birr passes, is indeed well calculated to
inspire solemn thoughts of long past times. The
aged round tower, and the Saxon gable end of St.
Cronan's Abbey to the left, with the venerable steeple
of the Franciscan Monastery to the right, present on
both extremities of the view, objects most interesting ;
while the middle space is diversified by the ruins of
the round castle of King John's time, and those of the
larger, but less ancient, one of the days of Henry
VIII. In the distance, reviving the spirit of Irish
chivalry, appears Carrickhill, or the " Hill of the
Rock," from which the Earl of Carrick takes his title.
In very early times there were fairs held in Roscrea,
attended by merchants and others from distant parts
of Ireland, and even by many foreigners, and some of
these fairs continued for fourteen days. It is a well
authenticated fact, that the Irish assembled at one of
these fairs, on the festival of SS. Peter and Paul, in
the year 942, beat the Danes, who had gathered their
forces from Waterford, Limerick, and Gal way, with
intent to surprise and plunder the natives. The
Limerick Danes were commanded by Tomar, and it is
said the Danes from Galway passed in boats over the
Shannbn where Portumna bridge now stands, and that
they all then united their forces in Ormond, under the
command of Olfin. The people of the country, how-
ever, gave the alarm by lighting fires on the hills, and
the men of Roscrea being prepared, they, with the
people who resorted to the fair from the different parts
ROSCREA. 131
of the country, although strangers to each other, did
not wait to be attacked in the town, but sallied out,
and after a sanguinary conflict near the same Carrick-
hill, defeated the invaders, killing Olfin, their chief,
with 4,000 of his men. This circumstance it is which
made the Hill of Carrick so remarkable as to give
a title to the noble house of Butler.
The Danes on this occasion took flight towards
Moneygall on their way to Limerick, and the track by
which they went is marked by the many skeletons
found in it from time to time. Thus numerous human
bones were found years ago in pits between Clonegana
and the highroad, and more of them were found in the
bog between Moneygall and Cullenwaine. It is
curious that these bones have been generally found
where there was either dry sandy soil or bog, the ab-
sorbing nature of the sand preserving them in the one
case, and the antiseptic quality of the bog, in the
other ; but wherever the bodies were interred in rich
earth, they were sooner decomposed. Even the names
of many of the townlands in this line of flight seem
derived from the transaction. Thus the route followed
was by the stream called Owris, as if from the Irish
oiriSj a stop, delay, or hindrance, probably because it
interrupted the flight of the Danes ; thence by Clone-
gana, from, cluan, a retired place, and geanam, a sword ;
by Clashagad, from glas, a lamentation, and giodad, a
wounding; by FinglaSj/ow, troops, and glas, a lamen-
tation ; and by Loughawn, locc, a pool, and un, evil, to
Moneygall, where the battle is said to have ended.
132 EOSCREA.
Moneygall seems to be derived from moin, a bog, and
gall, a foreigner, or stranger, and several human bones
were found some years ago in a moor near it.
To return to Boscrea, which has been left behind in
following the track of the routed Danes. In former
times Eoscrea was famed, not only for the valour of
its inhabitants, and the magnificence of its buildings,
but likewise as a seat of practical religion. We find
accordingly, that St. Canice, who was born in 516, and
died in 599, wrote here a copy of the Four Gospels,
called Glass Kennic, or, " Chain of Canice," and which,
Archbishop Usher tells us, was preserved in this town
even until his own time. There was also a copy of
the Gospels written by Dimma, a scribe, the son of
Engus, son of Carthin, which possibly was the manu-
script afterwards in the possession of the late Sir Wm.
Betham, and which latter was certainly preserved at
Boscrea in a most curiously wrought and ornamented
box, and was several years ago the subject of much
interesting discussion, in the Transactions of the Boyal
Irish Academy, and elsewhere.
Eoscrea seems to have suffered much in former
times from fire, as well as from plunderers, for we
find it was " destroyed," or greatly injured by fires in
the years 1133, 1135, and 1147. Again, notwith-
standing the lesson taught the Danes two centuries
before, the town was plundered in the year 1153 by
the Eoganaght of Cashel, a tract of about twelve miles
round that city ; while it appears that in the following
year, the Abbey and town once more suffered from " a
ROSCREA. 133
general conflagration." Thus it seems that in this
short space of some twenty years, this town was four
times burned, and, at least, once plundered.
In the year 1213 the reign of King John the
English having possessed themselves of Eoscrea, after
some contests with Murtagh, King of North Munster,
built, as a barrier against the natives, the circular-
shaped castle on the street now called the Mall, lead-
ing by the river ; and early in the 14th century, in
the reign of Edward, the castle and manor of Eoscrea,
with all fees and " advowsons of churches appertain-
ing thereunto," were granted to Edmund Butler, Earl
of Carrick. This round tower has been repaired in
late years. The large square castle in the centre of
the town was built by the Ormond family in the reign
of Henry VIII., and has been used in late years as a
store-house for any military lodged in the barracks at
the rere. This barracks was formerly the residence
of Mr. Darner, ancestor to the Earl of Dorcester. The
interior of the castle is well worthy of a visit.
So much having been stated as to ancient Eoscrea in
general, the remains of its venerable Abbey and
Monastery now claim more particular attention, nor
should the fine round tower one of those puzzles for
antiquarians be forgotten. As already stated, St.
Cronan founded hepe in the seventh century, the
Abbey, the front gable of which, for such it appears
to have been, is still remaining. The following descrip-
tion of the ruins of this Abbey and the round tower,
as they appeared in 1786, is given in Archdall's
134 ROSCEEA.
Monasticon: "The present church is dedicated to St.
Cronan ; the front of it is very old, and consists of a
door and two flat niches on either side, of Saxon
architecture, with a mezzo-relievo of the patron Saint,
much defaced by time ; at a little distance is a cross
in a circle, with a crucifix on one side, adjoining to
which is a stone carved in various figures, and at
each end a mezzo-relievo of a saint ; both are called, if
we mistake not, the shrine of St. Cronan. To the
north-west is a fine round tower, fifteen feet diameter,
with two steps round it at the bottom ; about fifteen feet
from the ground is a window with a regular arch, and
at an equal height is another window with a pointed
arch." The first-mentioned " window" seems to be
what we now call the door, and it is unnecessarv to
j
inform those acquainted with the place, that the fore-
going description is almost quite applicable still, after
the lapse of nearly another century ; such little effect
has a hundred years' wear and tear had upon these
weather-beaten remains.
"We have been handed down, on good authority, the
names of more than 25 abbots or superiors of Eoscrea
Abbey after St. Cronan, commencing with the Abbot
Fiangus who, according to the Four Masters, died in
the year 800, and ending with Conaig O'Haengusa,
"Superior of the Canons of Eoscrea," who, on the
same authority, died in 1173. It would be uninterest-
ing to the general reader to go through this long list
of names, extending over a period of nearly 400 years,
although several of those mentioned were eminent for
ROSCREA. 135
learning and sanctity. Thus in 827, died Ciaran,
" a philosopher " of Eoscrea; and in 838, Aidean,
Abbot of Koscrea, and Prior of Clonmacnoise, died.
King Cormac M'Culenain in 909, ordered by will that
his royal robes, embroidered with gold, and enriched
with precious stones, should be deposited in this
Abbey. In 916, died the Abbot Scanlan M'Gorman,
who was a learned scribe and philosopher, and also
Abbot of Clonemore Maedhog ; and the Abbot Bran
M'Colman died in 926, according to some writers,
while others say he was killed by the Danes in 929.
The sepulchral slab of this Abbot was to be seen in
Monaincha Abbey, near Eoscrea, some years ago, but
it has been since placed in the museum of the Eoyal
Irish Academy. The Irish inscription on it signi-
fied " Pray for Black Bran ;" notwithstanding which,
it was erroneously pointed out as the tomb of St.
Cronan. In 964, died Cormac O'Killein, Abbot of
Eoscrea, and Bishop of Clonmacnoise; in 1119, died
Fearghal, the " venerable elder of Eoscrea ; " and in
1161, died Isaac O'Cuanan, "stiled Bishop of Eoscrea."
The question as to whether the round tower of
Eoscrea, and other similar structures in other parts of
Ireland, were erected for Christian or Pagan uses,
and what particularly, and about what period,
is too intricate to enter into here. There have
been, and are, able champions on both sides, and
whoever is right, there is no doubt that the venerable
tower at Eoscrea is an interesting specimen of its
kind. This tower is about eighty feet high, and
136 ROSCREA.
stands a few dozen yards north-west from St.
Cronan's Abbey; and, as stated by Archdall near one
hundred years ago, has around the base two tiers of
stone-work resembling steps, with a circular arched
doorway (called by Archdall a window), now about ten
feet from the ground, and what appears at first sight
to be a pointed window, about fifteen feet higher still.
There are some curious and peculiar circumstances
connected with the Roscrea Bound Tower, including
this last-mentioned window, which should not be
passed over in silence. The arch of this window,
which from the outside appears to be pointed, is really
a double arch, pointed on the outside, but semi-circular
on the inside. This window faces the east, and on the
right side of it, within the opening, and about half-
way between the top and bottom of the window, there
is the figure of a one- masted antique ship or boat,
about a foot long, not cut into the stone, but carved
out on it in bold relief ; and on the same stone, and
near the ship, there is carved in the same way a figure
resembling a battle-axe or hatchet. On the opposite
or left side of the window, and at about the same
height, there is a queer figure also cut in relief on the
stone in the same way, and which last-mentioned
figure, is something like a belted cross. It is remark-
able that some years ago there was an ancient slab at
Selsker Abbey, in the County Wexford, having on it
the figure of an antique ship almost quite similar to
this one on the Roscrea Round Tower. To enter into
speculations as to how these figures came to be on
ROSCREA. 137
this round tower, or of what they may be emblematic,
would be uninteresting to many. It is curious,
however, as regards these figures, to find the early
name of Eoscrea partly formed by the word ere, of
which one of the meanings is, the keel of a ship ; and
it is also interesting, in connexion with one of the
theories put forward regarding the round towers of
Ireland, to find here the figure of a ship, which was
the emblem of the passive power of propagation of
nature the Cybele of the classics, and Una of the
Pagan Irish.
In 1842, excavations were made in the interior of
the round tower at Eoscrea. The tower at that time
was full inside up to the level of the door, which
might have been caused in some measure in conse-
quence of its having been theretofore inhabited by a
family, who cared the flag and flagstaff then on the
top, and the stairs leading to them. This flag appears
to have been kept there by an Orange Society, until
the custom was put an end to by Government. In
the excavations referred to, there was first met loose
stones and earth, to the depth of about three feet from
the surface of the floor, and then a layer of rich mor-
tar and small stones, about five to six inches thick,
was come to. After this was found a course of clay
and stones, about sixteen inches thick, and in it were
several human jaw-bones and thigh-bones, these last
being invariably close to the wall of the tower, and
lying as parallel as possible to the large stones
composing it. After several alternate courses in this
138 ROSCKEA.
way, mixed with human bones, there was found at the
depth of about seven feet from the level of the door,
and about the centre of the tower, a round hole about
two and a half to three inches diameter, which was
perfectly smooth and even, and went down about
seven feet more through a bed of coarse stones and
clay. The bottom of this hole was full of water which
probably came in from the adjoining mill-pond, with
which it was nearly on a level. Some of the lower
bed of stones and clay was also removed, and several
human bones of larger size than the others, were
found imbedded in the clay. The stones used in the
lower part of the walls of the Eoscrea tower are very
large and coarse, some of them being six feet long.
They are also quite undressed, and are curiously fitted
into one another. The centre hole had every appear-
ance of having been something in the way of a filter
or contrivance for carrying away water, but this also
is only matter for speculation.
Towards the end of the year 1845, it became neces-
sary to sink a foundation for an addition to the mill,
which is close to this ancient tower. It was then
found that the foundation of the tower went to the
depth of ten feet, through a tough clay, and consisted
of solid masonry, with three offsets decreasing in
diameter as the work approached the surface. At this
depth, and beneath part of the foundation, the work-
men found the skeleton of a man, the skull being
nearly half an inch thick, and being remarkable for
having scarcely any development of forehead.
ROSCREA. 139
On the river towards the north-west end of the
town, are the remains of the Franciscan Friary,
founded in 1490, by Mulroony O'Carroll, Lord of Ely
0' Carroll, to whose memory there was formerly here
a stone tablet with a Latin inscription. He was nick-
named na feasoge, that is, with the beard, and he
married Bibiana, daughter of O'Dempsey. Others
state that Bibiana herself founded this monastery after
she became a widow. By an inquisition, taken 27th
December 1568, it was found that, " the precincts of
this monastery contained two acres, in which was a
house where the friars dwelt, with a dormitory, hall,
the prior's chamber, a chapel, a cemetery, a garden,
and two orchards, annual value, 6s. 8d., besides
reprises, and in the lands of Eoscrea thirty acres
of arable and pasture ; the church was parochial, and
a third-part of the rectory of Eosscuro, and the
alterages thereof, with the tithes of the above thirty
acres, did belong to it ; and the vicar who served the
church received the said tithes and alterages." The
whole was subsequently granted to Thomas, Earl of
Ormond, who assigned to William Crow.
On entering from the street, under the fine old
church tower of the monastery thus erected by
O'Carroll or his widow, nearly 400 years since, a
scene presents itself at the present day very different
from what it must have been in 1568, the date
of the inquisition referred to. It is true the grand old
church tower still remains in good preservation, with
other portions of this venerable building ; and there is
140 ROSCREA.
also the "cemetery," with slabs and tombs of con-
siderable antiquity. On proceeding a little further,
however, instead of ancient remains, we come in view
of " St. Cronan's new church," the name given to the
beautiful Eoman Catholic church, erected here in late
years by the people of Eoscrea. It would be almost
impossibe to select a finer or more appropriate site for
the elegant building which here stands upon hallowed
ground, in the midst of picturesque scenery through
which the little Brusna river flows hard by. This
beautiful edifice was commenced several years ago,
when the Very Eev. Thomas Blake, Y.G., was Parish
Priest of Eoscrea, and has been finished by the present
respected Parish Priest, the Very Eev. Philip Ken-
nedy, Y.G. Mr. Butler was the original architect,
and on his death was succeeded by Mr. M'Carthy. If
the outside of this church be beautiful, it is yet
surpassed by the interior, with its lofty ceiling,
stained glass windows, and elegant altars and screen.
The high altar and throne, the screen, the two side
altars, and the sanctuary railing, are of Caen stone, and
Carara and Irish marble red marble from Cork, and
green from Galway. These were executed by Messrs.
Early and Powell of Dublin who also erected the
beautiful memorial altar in Birr Eoman Catholic
church and are considered to be very fine works of
art. They cost about 1,500. The stained glass
windows in the eastern end, and the one in the
western gable, are very beautiful, and there are also
three very handsome windows in the side aisle,
ROSCREA. 141
erected to the memories of the Very Eev. Thomas
Blake, V.G., the Eev. John Doolan, C.C., and the
Eev. Thomas Lynch. In fine, St. Cronan's new
church is most creditable to the people of Eoscrea
generally, and to the very rev. gentlemen by whom
it was commenced and finished.
The Eoscrea Convent is an elegant building,
beautifully situated on a height behind St. Cronan's
new church, and not far from it. This convent is
admirably adapted to the purposes for which it was
erected, and contains more than thirty nuns, with
boarding and day schools for young ladies of the
upper classes. There is likewise a poor school, with
an average attendance of 400 children, whose educa-
tion is an incalculable benefit to the town and neigh-
bourhood.
Towards the close of the last century, when the
different volunteer corps were being enrolled through-
out Ireland, the spirited people of Eoscrea were not
idle. We accordingly find a corps of volunteers called
" the Eoscrea Blues," associated here on the 21st of
July 1779, their uniform being blue faced blue, with
gold lace. Colonel Yaughan, as a delegate from this
corps, attended the meeting of delegates held at Birr,
on the 20th of March 1782, as already mentioned.
On the 8th of April following, "the Eoscrea Blues"
assembled in full body at Eoscrea, Captain Edward
Birch in the chair, when it was resolved unanimously
that they "think it would be at this time highly
criminal in them, as independent volunteers and
142 ROSCREA.
freeholders, to remain silent, and they have therefore
come to the following resolutions :
" Whereas it has been asserted that the volunteers, as
such, cannot debate or publish their opinions on political
subjects, or on the conduct of Parliament, or on men in
public employments ; resolved unanimously, that a
freeholder by learning the use of arms does not
abandon any of his civil rights.
" Eesolved, That we highly approve of the spirited
and constitutional resolutions of the Ulster delegates
assembled at Dungannon, on the 15th day of February
last ; and also, the resolutions entered into at Birr, on
the 20th of March last, at which meeting our delegate,
Colonel Yaughan, attended.
" Eesolved, That, connected as we are with Great
Britain by every tie of interest and affection, we
are determined to share her liberty and share her
fate.
"Eesolved, That at every ensuing election we
are determined to support those only who have
made the good of their country the primary object.
" Eesolved, That the thanks of this corps be pre-
sented to Henry Prittie, Esq., one of our representa-
tives, for his steady and upright conduct in Parlia-
ment, and while he continues to persevere (which we
have not the least doubt of) in maintaining the rights
of his country he shall meet with our warmest
support.
" Eesolved, That it appears to us, that from the
unequal representation of the people, we have reason
ROSCREA. 143
to apprehend that the endeavours of the virtuous part
of our House of Commons to obtain a redress of
grievances may prove abortive ; we, therefore, pledge
ourselves, should any well-judged constitutional at-
tempts be made to bring our Parliament to its
pristine purity, our zealous support will not be
wanting."
Captain Birch having left the chair, it was further
unanimously resolved, " That the thanks of this corps
be presented to him for his propriety of conduct in the
chair." John Francks, Esq., acted as secretary to this
meeting.
Although the comparatively recent date 1779 is on
the front of the present Market House in Roscrea,
there must have been not only a Market House, but a
very creditable one in that town at a very early date,
for we have already seen (p. 49) that in a lease made
in the year 1671, of the market place in Birr, the
lessee was bound to build as good a Market House " as
is bilt in Roscrea."
Previous to the Rebellion of 1798, there was pub-
lished in Roscrea a Journal called the Roscrea Southern
Star, or General Advertiser. It was printed and pub-
lished in Limerick Street, by W. and J. H. Lords, and
was extinguished in the year 1798 in a very summary
way, in consequence of some republican feeling said to
have been shown by the proprietors. Soon after the
cruel murder of Mr. Doolan of Bovine, near Birr, as
already mentioned, the Roscrea yeomanry, it is said,
forcibly entered Mr. Lord's house, broke-up and
144 MONAINCHA.
destroyed his furniture, and scattered his types and
press about the streets. Such was the fate of the
Roscrea Southern Star, but whether the proprietor de-
served this treatment or not, it would be difficult to
decide now, after the lapse of nearly seventy years.
At all events, this was an effectual way to suppress an
obnoxious Journal.
Roscrea Protestant church was erected in 1812. It
is a fine substantial building, and stands near or upon
the site of St. Cronan's Abbey. The Venerable Arch-
deacon Eoe is now the respected Rector of Roscrea.
The Wesleyan chapel, on the Mall by the river,
was erected in 1801, but was rebuilt in late years in
a very creditable manner, and is now a very fine
building.
The names of the principal inhabitants and traders
of Roscrea in the year 1823, will be found (No. 15) in
the Appendix. Some other interesting events, in con-
nexion with Roscrea, will also be met with throughout
the work.
In concluding this account of ancient Roscrea, some
information as to the neighbouring monastery of
Monaincha will be interesting. Mr. Archdall thus
describes this place as it appeared in 1786: "The
monastery of Monaincha situate almost in the centre
of the great bog of Monela, in the Barony of Ikerrin,
and about three miles south-east of Roscrea, was
originally an abbey of Culdean monks, under the in-
vocation of St. Columba, whose festival was formerly
celebrated there on the 15th of June; the situation
MONAINCHA. 145
chosen by these religions was very singular ; the
island whereon the monastery is built consists of about
two acres of dry ground ; all the surrounding parts
being a soft morass, scarcely accessible by human
feet, and yet, on this isle stands the remains of a
beautiful edifice ; not large, but constructed in so fine
a style, and with such materials, as excites our wonder
how they could have been transported thither. The
length of the church is forty-four feet, the width
about eighteen ; the arches of the choir, and the
western portal, are semi-circular, and adorned with a
variety of curious mouldings ; the windows were con-
trasted arches, such as appear over the west entrance
to the church of St. Edmondsbury, Suffolk, but they
are decaying, and some have fallen down."
The original monastery of the Culdees, referred to
by Archdall, was erected here in the seventh century,
but Ware states that Monaincha afterwards became a
priory of Regular Canons, and was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin and St. Hillary. Cambrensis, who
came to Ireland in 1185, as secretary to King John,
then Earl of Morton, refers to this monastery, and
states that the island upon which it stands " borders
upon North Minister and the confines of Leinster, and
that there a few Culdees or Colidei did devoutly serve
God." Even at this time there appears to have been
a superstitious notion that no person could die in this
island be his malady ever so bad, as the merits of the
Patron Saint, and his religions, had secured this
privilege to an island so favoured. Hence this place
K
146 MOXAINCHA.
acquired the appellation Insula Viventium, or The
Island of the Living, and was called by the Irish
Inisnambeo, which means the same thing. It was
also known as Inchenebo. The name Culdee, in
Irish, Ceile De, signifies a servant of God, and the
Culdees are also referred to by an Irish appellation
meaning " Sons of Life." The Latin writers call them
Colidei, Culdei, and sometimes Deicolce, or " Wor-
shippers of God." This celebrity of the Culdees,
and their residence at Monaincha, brought, for up-
wards of ten centuries, and from the most distant
parts of Ireland, numerous pilgrims to the altar of St.
Columba.
The religious inhabitants of Inchenebo appear, how-
ever, in course of time to have removed from the
island to the mainland, for Ware informs us that they
afterwards fixed their residence at Corbally, near at
hand. There are still some remains of their establish-
ment at Corbally, where, in Archdall's time, there
was " in good preservation, a small, neat chapel of
a cruciform shape, with narrow slits for windows,
and many other particulars indicating a respectable
antiquity."
By an inquisition taken in the year 1568, it was
found " that the monastery of Canons Regular of the
Virgin Mary, in the Island of the Living, otherwise
called Inchenebo, was seized of the following lands :
The island, which contained three acres of moor,
wherein were two chapels; and near the island a
village called Corballi, in which the prior and convent
MONAINCHA. 147
dwelt, where also was a church, formerly the church
of the priory and parish, and is still the parish church ;
in this village were eight waste cottages, and the land
which belonged to the priory consisted of one hundred
and eighty acres of arable and pasture, annual value,
30s. ; one hundred and forty of unprofitable, and
sixteen acres of wood and underwood, annual value,
2s. 8d." Amongst the other lands of which this
monastery was then found to be seized were the
" vill of Kerneyttys " (now Kinnetty), with thirty
acres, annual value, 5s. ; the " vill of Kylecoleman "
(now Kilcoleman), with twenty acres, annual value,
4s. ; and the vill of Aghancon, with twenty-four
acres. Also, one- third part of the rectory of " Kos-
comroh," and the rectory of " Lytter." This
Inquisition adds, that the whole of the lands were
of the annual value of 40s., "the greater part
of the townlands in the said parishes being then
waste." The places above named are all in the
neighbourhood of Birr or Koscrea. The Abbey
of Monaincha was granted to Sir Lucas Dillon
in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of Queen
Elizabeth.
Mr. Archdall describes the ruins of this monastery
as being, in 1786, when he wrote, very interest-
ing as regarded the situation, the materials used,
and the workmanship ; and even now, when these
ruins have stood the ordeal of another century,
they are well worthy oi a visit. The sepulchral
slab of " Black Bran," Abbot of Roscrea, which
148 MONAINCHA.
was formerly here, has been already noticed.
As Kinnetty, called " Kerneyttys," and Kilcole-
man, termed " Kylecoleman," are referred to in
the Inquisition as to Monaincha, this seems the
proper place to notice these places.
CHAPTER IX.
KINNITTY, DRUMOULLEN, AND SLEIBH BLOOM MOUNTAINS.
CADAMSTOWN AND KILCOLEMAN.
THE neat little town called Kinnetty, or Kinnitty, is
about six miles south-west of Birr, in the Parish of
the same name, and Barony of Ballybritt. Kinnitty
was in the district of Ely 0' Carroll, but adjoined the
ancient territory of Fearcall. The old name of the
townland was Ballynacaislean, or Castletown.
The name of this place was differently spelled in old
documents. Thus it was spelled Ceann-etich, which
would mean Etech's head, and according to a note in
the Felire of Aenguis, at the 7th of April, St. Finan's
festival day, it was so-called because the head of Etech,
an ancient Irish heroine, was buried there. The
Four Masters, however, have it " Cinneitigh," in the
passage at the year 1213, where they record that the
English " erected the castle of Cinneitigh " (see p. 21).
In a different copy of these Annals it is spelled " Cin-
neidigh," which seems more near the proper ortho-
graphy. It is very probable, however, that this
parish acquired its name from there having been in it
a cell belonging to the celebrated St. Ita, whose name
150 KINNITTY.
is still borne by the neigbouring parish called Ettagh,
or Ittagh. The Irish for concealment is pronounced
Keyn, while the Saint's name is Eidigli, or Eitigh, and
thus we have Keyn Eitigh, or Keyn Eidigh, meaning
the place of retirement, or concealment, of Ita.
Keating spells it " Cinneity," while in the Grant by
the Crown, 19th Charles II., hereafter mentioned,
the name is spelled " Killenitty," which appears to
mean the little cell of Ita. There seems, from the
derivation of the name, to be little doubt as to this
place having been once favoured by the frequent visits
of St. Ita, whose solitary cell was here, while she had
a more extensive and public establishment in the
neighbouring parish of Itagh, or Ettagh, and other
places.
Ita was a very celebrated Saint, and was called Ida
as well as Ita, and she was also known by the name
Mida. We likewise find her designated Ite, Ide, and
Mide. St. Ita was daughter of Kennfoelad, by his
wife Necta. She was therefore descended from the
princes of Decies, an extensive ancient district in the
present County Waterford. It is inferred that her
parents were Christians, from the fact of her having
been baptized when a child. She was born a little
before the year 484, and was placed while an infant
under the care of St. Brendan of Clonfert.
An abbey was founded at Kinnitty in the year 557,
when St. Finan, surnamed Cam, of the race of Cor-
dudubne, and disciple of St. Brendan of Clonfert, who
died in 576, was abbot of " Cinneteach." St. Finan
KINNITTY. 151
of Kinnitty died on the 7th of April, but the year is
uncertain; he flourished, however, about the same
time with St. Mochoemoc, who died in 655.
The Danes destroyed Kinnitty Abbey in 839, and
Cellach, son of Crunmal, who was abbot here, died in
850 ; as did, in 871, the abbot Colga M'Cohagann,
who was esteemed the best and most eloquent poet
then in this kingdom, and who was also the principal
historian.
Keating informs us that in 908, Colman"the Eeli-
gious," abbot of " Cinneity," was killed in the suit of
Cormac M'Cuilebaan, at the battle of Moy Ailbe, near
Leighlin. The same writer adds, " this holy person was
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and sat upon the Bench,
and administered the laws with great honour to
himself and advantage to his country."
It has been already seen that the " vill of Ker-
neyttys," with thirty acres of arable and pasture, and
twenty-four of wood and underwood, annual value, 5s.,
with other lands in the neighbourhood, heretofore be-
longed to the monastery of Monaincha, or Inchenebo,
near Koscrea.
By Grant from the Crown, 13th January, 19th
Charles II. (1668), were granted the lands "of Kille-
nitty," consisting of 416 acres 2 roods plantation
measure, and Castletown 222 acres, with severad ad-
joining lands ; comprising in all 1620 acres 1 rood
plantation, or 2624 acres 2 roods 6 perches statute
measure. On the Down Survey Map, the name of
this place is spelled "Kinnitie."
The little town of Kinnitty, and surrounding landb,
are the property of Colonel Bernard, Lieutenant and
Custos Rotulorum of the King's County, whose beauti-
ful residence, Castle Bernard, is situate in a picturesque
demense adjoining the town, and bordering on the
Sliebh Bloom Mountains. This large and stately
mansion, which is built of grey blue limestone in the
Elizabethan castellated style, was erected at great ex-
pense by the late Colonel Bernard, father of the pre-
sent owner, and the latter has also expended a large
sum in recent improvements. It has been seen (p. 93)
that at the review of the Volunteer corps, near Birr,
on 20th February 1784, the left wing was commanded
by Colonel Thomas Bernard, jun., who was grand-
father of the present Colonel Bernard ; and his own
corps, the " Mountain Bangers," was also present on
the occasion. This corps was associated on the 15th
of August 1779, the uniform was scarlet faced black,
and the members of it were mostly from the neigh-
bourhood of Kinnitty. Major George Clarke and
Captain John Drought were officers in this corps.
The late Colonel Bernard, by whom Castle Bernard
was erected, and the father of the present owner, was
for many years representative in Parliament for the
King's County, and it was by him the first stone of
the " Parsons Testimonial " was laid at Birr, in 1827,
as already mentioned (p. 119).
In Castle Bernard demense, and close to the castle,
there is a very ancient and interesting stone cross. It
seems to have been composed of sandstone, and the
KINNITTY. 153
arms have been broken off. On the shaft, however,
both front and back, are several compartments hav-
ing figures which appear to have reference principally
to events in the life of the Patron Saint of Ireland.
There seems no fair reason to doubt that the second
lowest compartment on the front of the cross was in-
tended to represent the conversion to Christianity by
St. Patrick, of Aengus who was King of Cashel about
the time of that Saint's mission. We are informed,
as well by tradition as by history, that during the
religious ceremony of baptism, the point of the
Apostle's pastoral staff accidentally penetrated the foot
of Aengus, who, imagining this to be part of the
ceremony, bore the pain without flinching or com-
plaining. This seems to be the incident here repre-
sented. Aengus was killed at the battle of Killosnodh,
which, according to the Four Masters, was fought in
the year 490. As this cross plainly has reference to the
conversion of Aengus, King of Cashel, it is probable
that St. Colman, who founded Kilcoleman, near Birr,
and was son of King Aengus, also founded or governed
Kinnitty Abbey. This seems more probable from the
fact, related by Lenigan, that a St. Colman of Kinnitty
visited St. Brendan of Birr ; for Colman of Kilcole-
man appears to have been cotemporary with Brendan
of Birr. A full account and description of this
interesting cross appeared in the Transactions of the
" Kilkenny Archaeological Society " some years ago.
There have been found at Castle Bernard several
very curiously carved slabs and stones, and in the
154 DRUMCULLEN.
castle-hall there is an exceedingly curious figure of a
horseman carved in stone, which was exhibited at
the Great Exhibition in Dublin in 1853, causing much
interest, and considerable discussion amongst the
learned who examined it. This figure must have been
of a very early period, and was found in the year
1844, in a large earthen rath or ring on Knock-na-
man, that is, "the hill of God," or " hill of the sun,"
or "hill of the altar," south of the castle, and not far
from the bank of the Comcor or Birr river, which,
rising in the Sleibh Bloom Mountains above, flows
through the demesne. This rath stands high, and is
a very conspicuous object, surrounded by large stones
which appear to have undergone the action of fire ;
and the ashes is still plainly to be seen around
wherever holes are dug for planting. There are also
three other somewhat similar rings on the top of Cum-
ber Mountains, about half a mile from Knocknamann.
" Cumber " means Aurora, or, the sun at the dawn of
day. An account and description of this very interest-
ing stone figure will be found in the Transactions of
the " Kilkenny Archaeological Society," now the
" Historical and Archaeological Society of Ireland,"
for July 1850 ; and which also gives much informa-
tion as to the derivations of the very remarkable
names of many places on the Kinnitty side of the Sliebh
Bloom Mountains a district as rich in pagan mytho-
logical associations as any other in Ireland.
On a rising ground facing Castle Bernard are the
ruins of the ancient Church of Druim-cuillinn^ now
DRUMCULLEN. 155
Drumcullen. It has been observed (p. 1) that Druim-
cuillinn and the river Avon-chara, or terrible river =
the Comcor or Birr river flowing by it, were men-
tioned in early times as forming part of the boundary
of ancient Meath. Thus, although so close to Kinnitty,
Druimcuillinn was in Fearcall, in ancient Meath, while
Kinnitty was in Ely, in East Munster, the river, which
was the boundary, runing between them. Yet it seems
more convenient to refer to Drumcullen here in con-
nexion with Kinnitty. Some persons allege that the
name Drumcullen is derived from Druim, a hill, and
cuillion^ a holly, for which tree the place appears to
have been noted ; but it comes, more probably, from
the Irish name of the Cullen sept, formerly subordinate
chiefs of this neighbourhood. St. Barrindeus, or
Barrind, was, according to Usher, abbot of Druim-
cuillinn in the year 590, and even yet there is a hill
there called Cnoc-barrind, Knockbarron, that is, the
hill of Barrind. It appears that about the same year
St. Barrind was also bishop of Kill-barrind, Kilbarron,
meaning, the Church of Barrind, near Eosruabh, on the
bay of Donegal, barony of Tyrehugh, and County
Donegal ; and which church had been previously
founded by St. Colman. St. Barrind must, therefore,
have been a person of importance to be thus, at the
same time, head of two religious houses in different
parts of the country, and so far distant from each
other as were the ancient Druim-cuillinn and Kill-
barrind ; and to have given his name to a church in
the one place, and to a hill in the other ; and which,
156 SLIEBH BLOOM MOUNTAINS.
after the lapse of thirteen centuries, they still retain.
It would be now strange, indeed, if an interest were
not taken even in the ruins of a place which still, after
so many centuries gone by, bring to mind, as it were,
the long passed times when St. Barrind presided over
the ancient Druimcuillinn and Killbarrind.
From Kinnitty a road leads up a pass of Sliebh
Bloom Mountains, a drive through which will more
than repay the trouble. Some of the views from here
are really beautiful, while those who wish the owners
of the soil to assist their humble countrymen to live
by affording them employment, will surely be gratified,
as well as instructed, by seeing here now clothed in
luxuriant grasses, tracts of mountain-land which a few
years since were covered with heather, and almost
useless.
The mountain range now called Slieve Bloom, or
more properly, Sliebh Bloom, which rises close to
Kinnitty, forming, as it were, a beautiful back-ground
to the view of Castle Bernard, was in old times called
Sliabh Bladma. Of course Sliabk is a mountain, and it
is said these mountains were called Bladma (pro-
nounced Blamma), from Bladh, one of the sons of
Brogan, the grandfather of Mile%us. The highest
part of the range is distinguished by the long-known
and celebrated appellation, Ard-na-Erin, or, Height
of Ireland. It is, indeed, strange that while Irish-
men and Irishwomen visit other countries in search of
the grandeur and beauty of nature, they have here at
home neglected, uncared for, and almost unknown,
ARD-NA-ERIN. 157
such places as Ard-na-Erin, to which access is so easy.
The "Height of Ireland" can be most conveniently
reached by the well-known so far as the name goes
opening in the Sliebh Bloom Mountains called " the
Gap of Glendine," which was formerly reckoned the
only accessible passage from the King's to the Queen's
County, in a highland range of fourteen miles in
length, for, with this exception, no road or inlet wa.s
then to be found between Boherphuca, or "the Devil's
Koad," near Eoscrea, and O'Neill's "Well, hereafter
mentioned, as being east of Kinnitty and Castle
Bernard.
This gap is called " Bladine " in the map published
by Mercator, at Amsterdam,, in 1623, which name
seems to mean, the green field on the summit. " Glen-
dine " appears to signify the gap on the summit, or,
according to others, the deep glen. The place is in
reality a very green and grassy opening on the top of
the range of mountains. From " the Gap " there is
an ascent of some two or three hundred feet to the top
of the mountain, and the trouble of ascending will be
well repaid. Who has not heard of Ard-na-Erin, "the
Height of Ireland ? " The Ordnance mark on the
summit is only 1,733 feet over the level of the sea,
and this, therefore, although very elevated in itself, is
by no means the highest mountain in Ireland, as the
name would seem to import. In an ancient Irish poem
O'Dugan says, that
" Sliabh Bladhma the fair is over the head
Of Ossory, above the heights of Eirinn."
158 SLIEBK BLOOM MOUNTAINS.
but in this he is wrong, if he means that any part of
this mountain range is the highest point in Ireland.
However, although not the highest point in the island,
Ard-na-Erin is by far the highest in the centre of it,
and in fact the view from this is bounded almost solely
by the powers of vision. From this point, on a fair
day, can be seen all the country from Cummera Moun-
tain, in the County of "Waterford, to the " Twelve
Pins of Galway," Croagh Patrick, and Nephin, in
Mayo ; and from the Mountains of Killarney to Douce
Mountain, in the County Wicklow an expanse fully
equal to one-third of Ireland, and comprising some
ten or eleven counties. The huge "Devil's Bit"
Mountain the ancient Bearnan Eile in the midst of
fertile Tipperary, appears at our feet, while the Hill
of Knocksheegowna, the far-famed abode of the fairies,
seems only a molehill. It was surely on some such
elevated seat as this that Goldsmith wrote the lines :
"E'en now, where Alpine solitudes ascend,
I sit me down a pensive hour to spend,
And placed on high above the storm's career,
Look downward where an hundred realms appear ;
Lakes, forests, cities, plains, extending wide,
The pomp of kings, the shepherd's humbler pride."
It is not for the prospect alone, however, that the
Sliebh Bloom Mountains should be interesting.
Thesft mountains are frequently mentioned in the old
annals of Ireland, and Mr. Seward, in the Topographia
Hibernica, tells us that " there is still remaining on
these mountains a large pyramid of white stones, the
true simulacre of the sunfire amongst all the Celtic
SLTEBH BLOOM MOUNTAINS. 159
nations." This pyramid was also called " the White
Obelisk, or Temple of the Sun," and it was likewise
known as Copeall-ban, or the white horse, and was
said to have been erected as a landmark or boundary
between ancient Leinster and Munster, in the fourth
century. Others say it was a sepulchral monument.
Whatever be the purpose for which this pyramid was
originally intended, there seems a very remarkable
connexion between the different appellations given it.
At the pagan festival called Uisneach said to have
been instituted by Tuathal, in the first century horses
were sacrificed to the sun, and in fact the very name
Uisneach seems to mean the sacrifice of the horse. The
fires which are even yet lighted in some parts of Ire-
land at particular times, and the " bringing of a
horse's head to the bonfire," are relics of these ancient
Druidic rites, which, to judge by the names of places
in it, were nowhere more practised than in the district
surrounding Ard-na-Erin.
The Four Masters tell us that in 1580, John, the
son of the Earl of Desmond, after much plundering,
and even gaining a battle, proceeded with the sons of
Gillpatrick, the son of 0' Carroll, and others, to Sliebh
Bloom, where he was joined by many persons of note
from Offaley and Leix. The same writers add, " it
was a fit place for plunder where John, the son of
James, was on that mountain, for he slept only on
heaps of stones or earth, and drank nothing but the
cold water of the limpid stream, from the palms of his
hands or out of his shoes ; his cooking utensils were
160 SLIEBH BLOOM MOUNTAINS.
the long rods of the wood, by which he dressed the
flesh-meat he took from his enemies." It appears that
from this mountain Desmond's son made an incursion,
and burned the monastery of Leix, and also in one
day plundered seven towns in that territory, including
Port Leix (Portarlington), after which he went to
Olenmalure, in the County Wicklow.
The Four Masters also relate that in the year 1600,
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, marched with a force
into " Fearcall," the country of O'Molloy, where he
remained nine days, and the people submitted and
made friendship with him, after which, "he proceeded
over the Sliebh Bloom Mountains." They add, that on'
this occasion, he in one day sent forth three predatory
parties into the territory of Ely 0' Carroll, who wasted
the whole country, after which, he proceeded south
through Eoscrea, &c. The same writers state that in
1601, O'Neill, with several other Irish chiefs and their
army, " were expeditiously conveyed across the Shan-
non at Shannon Harbour; from thence they proceeded
to Delvin MacCoghlan, to Fearcall, to the borders of
Slieve Bloom, and into Ikerrin." It is interesting in
connexion with these visits of O'Neill to the Sliebh
Bloom Mountains, to find a place in these mountains,
a little to the east of Castle Bernard, called O'Neill's
Well," even to the present day.
An inquisition, taken at Drumakeenan, on the 15th
of December 1621, mentions the bounds of Ely O'Car-
roll as u running through the country towards the
south-east, even to the top of the mountain called
SLIEBll BLOOM MOUNTAINS. llil
Sliewbleowe, where the limits of the aforesaid country
or territory of Ely 0' Carroll, and of the territory or
country called Upper Ossory, in the Queen's County,
join directly over the town and land of Garida, com-
monly called ' Scully's land.' ' : Hence, it appears that
if a person stands withlTToot at each side of the lock-
spitted boundary, on the summit of Ard-na-Erin, he
would have a foot at the same time in the King's and
Queen's Counties, in the territory of O'Carroll of Ely,
and yet in Upper Ossory, the patrimony of MacGilla-
phadric, or Fitzpatrick, that once bold chieftain whose
messenger delivered to the haughty and powerful
King Henry VIII. the following message :
11 Sta pedibus Domine Rex. Dominus meus Gilla-
Patricius me misit ad te, et jussit dicere, si non vis
castigare Petrum rufum ille faciet bellum contra te."
That is, Stand my Lord King. My Lord Gilpatrick
sent me to you and ordered me to say, that if you do
not choose to punish Eed Peter, he will make war
against you. " Red Peter " here mentioned was the
Earl of Ormond, and Lord Deputy of Ireland, who
was then after making an attack on Gilpatrick' s terri-
tory ; and it is said a monk was the bearer of this war-
like message to the king. This spirited Lord of Upper
Ossory now sleeps unheeded in his lonely tomb at
Fartagh church, near Ballyspellan.
Yet, while we look down from Ard-na-Erin, we are
reminded of a stain upon Upper Ossory which cannot
be effaced while history remains ; for on the plain im-
mediately below, the people of Ossory attacked tin-
162 SLIEBH BLOOM MOUNTAINS.
brave Dalagais, the favourite troops of Brien Borombhe,
as they returned to Munster, victorious and wounded,
from the battle of Clontarf. On that occasion, such of
the Dalagais as were unable to stand, caused them-
selves to be tied to stakes, and thus nobly fought,
intermixed in the ranks with their fellow-warriors.
" Between seven and eight hundred wounded men,"
says O'Halloran, "pale, emaciated, and supported in
this manner, appeared mixed with the foremost of the
troops ; never was such another sight exhibited." It
is this circumstance which Moore immortalizes in the
beautiful lines :
"Forget not our wounded companions, who stood
In the day of distress by our side ;
While the moss of the valley grew red with their blood,
They stirred not, but conquer' d and died.
That sun which now blesses our arms with his light
Saw them fall upon Ossory's plain ;
Oh ! let him not blush when he leaves us to-night,
To find that they fell there in vain."
There are other melancholy reflections likely to be
suggested to a thoughtful Irishman by the view from
Ard-na-Erin. "Why are these extensive mountains,
which seem, almost in despite of man, to be running
into pasture land, not improved ? What a national
injury it is to have here, and in many other places,
lying useless, and a fit abode only for grouse, a bound-
less scope on which thousands of persons could find
both residence and employment, while the gallant sons
and fair daughters of Ireland are hurrying away in
-CADAMSTOWX. 163
search of a home ! The useful improvements effected
by the owner of Kinnitty have already been noticed,
but it seems impossible for individual exertions to ac-
complish what the country requires in this way. It
appears to be a duty to society, which should be dis-
charged by the Government.
Between two and three miles from Kinnitty, on
the slope of the Sliebh Bloom Mountains, is the village
/of Cadamstown Lettybrooke, the fine seat of Colonel
Drought, being about half-way between the two
' places. The name Cadamstown appears to be a cor-
ruption from the former name, which was Bally-mac-
Adam, or Mac Adams ,town. and the place seems to
have been of some importance heretofore. Although
part of Ely O'Carroll, Cadamstown was, in 1548, in
possession of Edmond a Faihi, or Fahy, or Edmond
"White, as he was also called, for the Four Masters state
that this Edmond Fahy having gained a battle in
Delvin that year, the heads of the slain were brought
" to the town of Edmond Fahy, Bally-mac-Adam, in
Kinel Fearga, in Ely O'Carroll, and were raised on
spears as trophies of victory." This Edmond Fahy
does not appear, however, to have been long in posses-
sion of this place, for the same writers, at 1549, the
year following, tell us that "Bally-Mac-Adam was
taken from Edmond Fahy, and the O'Carrolls were re-
instated in it, and which was a source of great joy and
gladness to the people of Ely."
It may perhaps seem out of place to refer to Kil-
coleman here in connexion with places so distant
164 KILCOLEMAN.
from it. It has been seen, however (p. 147), that
"the vill of Kylecolman," with twenty acres, of
the annual value of 4s. ; and " the rectory of Kyle-
colman,," as well as " Kerneyttys," or Kinnitty,
belonged to Monaincha. There also appears to
have been an early connexion between the religious
houses of Kinnitty and Kilcoleman. For these
reasons, therefore, it seems more convenient to
oifer a few observations regarding Kilcoleman,
here after the account of Kinnitty and neighbour-
hood.
The place called Kilcoleman, or Kilcolman, mean-
ing Colman' s Church, where the ruins of the old
church stand, is about three miles from Birr. The
previous name of Kilcoleman was Daire-More, that
is, nemus magnus, or rather, the great oak wood.
It is described in the Life of Pulcherius as being
11 between Munster and Leinster, but in Munster,
that is, in the country of Ely." This place also
appears to have been occasionally called " Insula
Vitse," or the Island of Life, but' 'for what reason,
or whether it was in consequence of its early con-
nexion with Inchenebo, the " Island of the Living,"
does not clearly appear.
There were many Irish Saints named Colman,
and, in fact, upwards of fifty of that name have
been commemorated. Uher states, however, that
St. Colman, the son of Aengus, King of Munster,
and whose mother's name was Darenia, flourished
about the year 570, and that he built Dairemore,
K1LCOLEMAN. 1G5
or Doremore, in the territory of Ely. It has been
already mentioned in the account of Kinnitty, why
it seems probable that this same St. Colman, son
of Aengus, also presided over that abbey. Kilcole-
man is likewise the name of the parish.
CHAPTEE X.
SEIR KYRAN, KILLYON, AND CLONBEONE.
THE very ancient and interesting place commonly
called Saint Kyrans, but properly Seir Kyran, Seir
Keran, or Seir Kieran, is reputed to have been the
seat of the oldest bishopric in Ireland. The seat of
the bishopric of Ossory appears, however, to have
been removed in the year 1052, from this to Aghaboe,
in the Queen's County, and from thence afterwards to
Kilkenny ; but Sier Kieran still remains part of the
diocese of Ossory, although nearly surrounded by the
diocese of Killaloe. The ruins which still remain here
are some four miles from Birr, about the centre of the
parish of Sier Kieran, in the barony of Eallybritt, and
in the old district of Ely 0' Carroll, in ancient Mun-
ster, which, as already shown, included part of the
modern King's County.
This place was formerly called Saiger, or Saygher,
which is said to have been the name of a fountain, or
it might probably come from the Irish Saigeoir, a
sawyer, owing to the number of wooden buildings of
which the town was composed. The appellation Seir
SEIR KYRAN. 167
is probably formed from Saygher, or it may be from
Saer, a carpenter. The place is called " Shyre " in an
inquisition, taken in 1568, and again is marked as
" Syre" on Mercator's map, published in 1623, while
on the Down Survey, printed about 1657, it is called
" Sirekeran."
In late days there is very little of the ruins at Seir
Kyran remaining, to show the former greatness of the
place, a few mouldering walls, with a low stone roofed
tower about fifteen feet diameter, and a little more in
height, comprising nearly the entire to be seen. "We
know, however, that even so early as the year 444,
there was a celebrated college here, and we are told
that a town grew up and increased to be an extensive
city, around the abbey founded here by St. Kieran.
The . traces of the numerous deep ditches and high
ramparts about the place, encompassing nearly ten
acres ; with the crumbling ruins of a sod fort, indicate
even in late years that the place was formerly of much
importance, and, if necessary, corroborate so far what
we have learned of its past history.
St. Kieran the elder, the founder of this abbey, is
said to have been born in the fifth century, at Cape
Clear, or, as Mr. Harris states, at Clear Island, in the
ancient district of Corcamluighe, in Munster. There
is yet an ancient church named Kilkierau, in the
Island of Cape Clear, and a part of the coast is called
in Irish, " Kieran's strand." Lugneus, a noble of
Ossory, was father of St. Kieran, and his mother was
Liadian of Corcamluighe. According to Colgan, St.
168 SEIR KYRANY
Kieran studied at Eome, and met St. Patrick in Italy,
who desired him to go before him to Ireland, and at
the well Fuaran, " a living fountain/' about the centre
of the kingdom, to build a monastery where he (St.
Patrick) would afterwards visit him. Whether such
conversation took place or not, it is certain that Birr,
which is only a few miles from the ruins at Seir
Kyran, was long reputed to be the centre of Ireland ;
while it is also true that a small stream, even yet
called Fuaian, still purls away on the east side of the
ruins at Seir Kyran. To the south of these ruins
there is still likewise to be seen the holy well, or
" living fountain," supposed to have been then alluded
to by the Apostle of Ireland. Colgan states that in
the earliest ages of Christianity in Ireland, St. Kyran
founded a cell at Saygher, and he adds, "the blessed
bishop Kyran began to live there like a hermit, because
all around it was a wide spread desert and thickly
wooded."
St. Kyran is called " Primogenitus Sanctus Hiber-
niee," the first born Saint of Ireland ; and the Abbe
Macgeoghan styles him the first of the Apostles of
Ireland. "We are also informed that St. Patrick gave
him a bell which was set up at Saiger, and was the
first in Ireland, and that this bell remained silent until
the Saint had reached the site destined for his monas-
tery, whereupon the sweet tones of this blessed bell
were heard to notify the fact. It is certain, however,
that a bell belonging to this monastery was, in very
early times indeed, held in great veneration through-
SEIR KYRAN 169
out Ossory. St. Kyran of Saygher is also included by
early Irish writers amongst the "twelve Apostles of
Erin," and is likewise known as " Kyran the elder,"
to distinguish him from his cotemporary, St. Kyran of
Clonmacnoise. It is recorded that St. Patrick, accom-
panied by Aengus, King of Munster, and several
chiefs, afterwards visited Saygher, according to his
promise, and was there entertained by St. Kyran ;
while on another occasion, the army of the King of
Cashel was supplied with food at this monastery.
Colgan, in the Life of St. Kyran, gives an account of
the internal arrangements and regulations of this
religious house in early times, from which an idea of
its great extent and hospitality can be formed.
The exact date of St. Kyran's death is uncertain,
but his festival was celebrated on the 5th of March.
In course of time after his death, a monastery for
Canons Regular of the order of St. Augustine, and
dedicated to St. Kyran, was founded at Saiger. St.
Kyran was succeeded at Saiger by St. Carthaigh,
called "the elder," who was son or grandson of
Aengus, King of Minister, already mentioned. It is
said that Carthaigh was originally a disciple of St.
Kyran, and having been guilty of a serious offence, he
was sentenced by Kyran to expiate it by doing
penance for seven years in a strange land. On the
return of Carthaigh, however, he gave such proofs of
his religion and virtue, that he became the favourite
of Kyran, and by his special appointment when on his
death-bed, Carthaigh became his successor. St. Car-
170 SEIR KYRAN.
thaigh is said to have died the 6th of March, in the
year 540.
We have been handed down on good authority, the
names of nearly thirty superiors who presided over
this abbey from the death of St. Carthaigh to the year
1079, when died the Abbot Cellach, surnamed " Kam-
har," or the lusty, who was also Abbot of Birr ; and
we have likewise been given the dates of several
remarkable events which occurred here during the
same period. It will be sufficient, however, to refer
to a few of these names and events. Thus in the year
570, St. Sedna, or Sedon, was Bishop here, and died
on the 1st of March that year ; and in 739, the Abbot
Laygnen, the son of Donenny, was killed. In the
year 839, the abbey was plundered, and in 841, it was
pillaged and set on fire by the Ostmen ; while again
in the following year, it was sacked by the Danes. In
855, Siadhal of " Desert-Ciaran " died; in 867, the
Abbot Corbmac, " esteemed a very learned scribe,"
died; and in 868, died the Abbot and Bishop Com-
fugh, who was also " a learned scribe." In the year
907, Corbmac, " Bishop of Seir Kyran," died ; and in
920, died the Abbot Aedh O'Eaithnen, " who was
truly remarkable for great wisdom and exemplary
piety." In 951, Godfrid, the son of Sitric, with the
Danes of Dublin, " did plunder and spoil the Abbey
of Disert-Ciaran " ; and the same year the Abbot
Kenfoelad, the son of Suibhne, died, " in pilgrimage
at Glendaloch." In 952, this abbey was plundered
and burned to ashes by the Munstermen ; in 961,
, 8EIR KYRAN. 171
Feargal, the son of Cathald, died at Seir Keran, " after
performing his pilgrimage " ; and in 964, there died
the Abbot Cormac Hua Killene, who was also Abbot
of Eoscommon and Tuaimgrene, and " was in uni-
versal estimation as well for his extensive knowledge
as for his truly exemplary life." In the year 1004,
died Fogarthach, " Abbot of Seir Keran and Glen-
dalough."
To the learned and laborious Friar John Clyn of
Kilkenny, we are indebted for the particulars of an
extraordinary part of the history of Seir Keran, being
the account of a trial by battle, in which the bishop,
St. Leger, about the end of the thirteenth century,
recovered the manor of Seir Kyran in a writ of right,
by obtaining the victory over his adversary. Usher,
in his Primardice, mentions this scandalous proceeding
thus : " Dominus Galfridus de sancto Leodegario
Episcopus Ossoriensis acquisivit per duellum manerium
de Seir Kyran."
In the church of Saiger in more recent times, there
was preserved a service of plate presented by Queen
Mary, shortly after the battle of the Boyne, in token of
her gratitude to the Almighty for the preservation of
her husband in that important conflict. During the
troubles of 1798, this plate was taken from the gentle-
man who had the care of it, and having been subse-
quently recovered, through the influence of the Roman
Catholic Parish Priest, in a very battered condition, it
was repaired and re-gilt at the expense of the parish.
However, it afterwards vanished altogether, no person
knows where.
172 SEIR KYKAN.
Mr. Harris tells us that on the plantation of Ely
O'Carroll, in 1619, Jonas Wheeler, Bishop of Ossory,
acquired the manor of Breaghmore, then called
Breaghmore-wheeler, adjoining Seir Kyran, and which
consisted of 1,000 acres of profitable, and 139 acres of
unprofitable land, and that King James I. afterwards
confirmed it to him.
The finding of the Inquisition, taken at Lemy-
vanane, now Leap Castle, in December 1568, when
this priory was surrendered, is curious, as showing
the state of Seir Kyran more than three centuries ago.
The result is thus given by Mr. Archdall : " The
prior was found to be seized of the site of the same,
containing one acre, in which were the walls of a
church, a small tower, a great stone house covered
with thatch now used as the parish church, and two
other houses then the residence of the canons ; worth,
excluding repairs, 4s. 4d. yearly. The villa of Shyre
belonged to the canons, in which were six cottages,
and forty acres of arable and pasture lands, of the
annual value of 17s. 8d. The Eectory of Shyre, alias
Shyre Keran, belonged also to the said priory ; and
the tithes and alterages were of the yearly value of
40s., besides the curate's stipend, taxes, &c." This
was granted to Sir William Taafe, who assigned to
James, Earl of Roscommon.
The small tower, " una turris parva" thus men-
tioned as having been standing at Saigher in 1568, is
still there, apparently little changed by the additional
300 years which have since passed away. This tower
SEIR KYRAN. 17'.
is so curious and uncommon the more so when taken
in connexion with other circumstances as to deserve
some special notice here. About twenty feet high,
with a conical stone roof, this tower was evidently
erected subsequent to the building that once stood be-
side it, and against the south-east angle of which it
was placed. It has a great many loopholes around,
each some three or four inches square on the outside,
but levelled off so as to adjoin each other on the
inside, these holes being also at different heights.
From the appearance of this tower, with other reasons,
it seems very probable it was used for keeping up in
it a consecrated fire. These religious fires were by
no means so rare as some may suppose ; and it is well
established that the Druids kept fires burning as
emblems of the sun or life. Thus, according to
Macgeoghan, there was a Druidical fire lighted at
Ilachta, which he places in the barony of Clonlisk, and
King's County, and which appears on Yaugandy's
Map of Ireland, published in 1757, to be situate about
the modern Brusna, which is not very far from Seir
Kyran. This was an institution of the monarch
Tuathal Teachmar, as Macgeoghan also states, the
place it was held in having been cut off Munster by
the same king ; and he adds, that it was forbidden to
supply fires with fuel on November eve until they
were first renewed from that holy fire. At Ilachta waa
the great fire temple of Baal, or the sun, and although
writers differ as to the situation of Ilachta, it is a
strange coincidence to find a hill in the vicinity of Seir
174 SEIR KYRAN.
Kyran still called Bellhill, which, although generally
supposed to be so called from St. Kyran' s Bell, is
evidently named from Baal, Beal, or Bel, the sun, the
god whom the celts worshipped. Knoc Grian, the hill
of the sun, in the County Limerick, is a name of the
same import as Knoc-Bell, or Bell-hill. In the neigh-
bourhood of Seir Kyran there is likewise a townland
called Grange, which also seems to have acquired the
name from Grian, the sun.
Early writers inform us that this practice was con-
tinued after the introduction of Christianity. Thus,
we learn that St. Patrick had his consecrated fire, and
that St. Bridged had her perpetual fire at Kildare,
until, as Ware tells us, Henry de Loundres, Arch-
bishop of Dublin, put out this latter fire. There was
also a sacred fire kept up at Clonfert, and in other
places. Thus, St. Kyran had his consecrated fire at
Saigher, probably in imitation of the Druidical one,
which was not far distant from his monastery. Col-
gan, in his Life of St. Kyran, states that " St. Kyran,
the bishop, resolved that the fire consecrated at Easter
should not be extinguished in his monastery for the
whole year." The same writer informs us that a boy
named Chichi^eus, of Cluain, who belonged to the
monastery at Clonmacnoise, having spent some days
with St. Kyran at the monastery at Saigher, he there
extinguished the fire, and, as a judgment from heaven,
was killed by wolves next day ; which, when his
master, St. Kyran the younger, Abbot of Clonmac-
noise, learned, he went to Saigher to St. Kyran, sen.,
SETR KYRAN. 175
and was received with great honour, " but that there
was not then any fire in the monastery because all the
fires through the place used daily to be kindled from
the consecrated fire." This shows beyond doubt that
formerly there was a sacred fire kept up here, and it
appears very likely that this tower was used as the fire
house.
As to the wolves which, as Colgan states, killed the
boy Chichideus in the neighbourhood of Seir Kyran,
we have already seen that this locality was " thickly
wooded," and it is at least an interesting fact, that
upon the Down Survey Map there is a place im-
mediately adjoining Seir Kyran called Breckanagh,
probably from breach, a wolf, and ana, misfortune ;
and even at the present day, a townland adjoining
these ruins is called Breaghmore, from breach (breagh),
a wolf, and more, great. It is also very remarkable,
that some years a^o the skull of a large animal said
by competent judges to be the skull of a bear with
a quantity of prostrate bog oak trees, was found at a
place called Clonbrone, immediately adjoining Breagh-
more, and which will be more fully referred to.
It appears that in early times Saigher was the burial
place of the Lords of Upper Ossory, and of other
princes. The portions of the ancient walls of the
church-yard which remain are built of concrete, or
pudding stone, supposed to have been brought from
the distant mountain. These portions of this wall
are very curious, and have the appearance of great
antiquity. The wall appears to have been built with
176 SEIR KYRAN.
a considerable slope, or batter, inwards at the top from
both sides. It is recorded that in very early times, a
noble lady, daughter of the then Lord of Ossory, in-
duced her husband, who was of royal family, to bring
numerous masons from Meath, and erect a wall around
the burial place of her family at Saygher. Perhaps
it is a portion of this identical wall that is yet to be
seen in this venerable place. Some thirty years ago,
a curious and grotesque figure made of freestone, and
resembling an Egyptian idol, was to be seen here in
the eastern gable of the church of that day. There
were then also in the burial ground some freestone
slabs, with inscriptions in the Irish character. One
of these appeared to be the gravestone placed over
11 gentle Oran," who died in the year 1066, and was
Abbot of Aghaboe, to which the seat of the See of
Ossory had been removed from Saigher in 1052.
Most of these interesting relics have now disappeared,
although since the present worthy Eector, the Eev.
John H. Scott, has had charge of this time-honoured
spot, of which he is so justly proud, no exertions for
its preservation have been wanting.
It may not be out of place to conclude this notice
of Seir Kyran with a poem illustrating one of the
legends connected with it, and which was published
some years since under the name " Enigenencis"
There is still in the vicinity the remains of an aged
hawthorn bush, called " St. Kyran's Bush,'' which is
held in great reverence, and is the subject of many
strange stories.
SEIR KYRAN. 177
ST. KIAKAN'S 1 ELL.
A HAWTHORN stands on yonder hill,
Bare, desolate, and lone
A token frail, but faithful still,
Of centuries long flown.
The startled ear, at even-time,
When weird- winds wander free,
May hear the ghostly Mass-Bell chime,
Beneath that hoary tree.
And still, around the peasant's hearth,
The legend strange is told,
How, never touched by hands of earth,
Rang out that Bell of old.
They tell how Sainted Patrick's hand
On Kieran's head was laid,
While thus he spoke in stern command
" Ne'er shall thy step be stayed,
" Till, sweet as song by seraphs sung,
Which saints alone may hear,
A chime by hands unseen be rung,
To charm thy mortal ear.
" There churches seven thou shalt build ;
But ages yet shall see
Their trampled dust and see fulfill'd
For aye this prophecy
" When strewn the Temples thou shalt raise,
A tree, sown by thy hand,
Shall live and preach to distant days,
God's blessing on the land."
He wandered forth, and wandered far,
That ancient Pilgrim Saint
Nor flood nor foe his path could bar,
Till way-worn here and faint,
M
178 KILL YON.
He paused when, hark ! upon his ear,
With joy no tongue can tell,
Like seraph-songs the sainted hear,
Bang out the unseen Bell !
And here he built his churches seven,
Ere summer thrice was gone
Won many a soul from earth to heaven,
And spread God's benison.
And though above his Cloisters fair
Now rots the clotted weed,
Though all their beauties blighted were
To glut a tyrant's greed
The hushed ear still, at even-time,
When weird-winds wander free,
May hear the mystic Mass-Bell chime,
Beneath yon aged tree.
At the place now called Killyon, about a mile and
a-half from Saigher, St. Kyran the elder founded a
nunnery, probably the first in Ireland. By the divi-
sions of the country at the time, however, as already
noticed, the monastery at Seir Kyran was in Ely, in
eastern Munster, but the nunnery at Killyon was in
Fearcall, in the kingdom of Meath the Comcor, or
Birr river, forming the boundary between these divi-
sions in this neighbourhood. Clonbrone, referred to
hereafter, was also in Fearcall, but owing to the con-
nexion between these places, it seems better to refer
to them immediately following each other, although
not all in the ancient Ely 0' Carroll.
The remains of the very old religious establishment
at Killyon stand on a slight eminence close to the road
leading from Birr to Kinnitty, and almost half-way
KILLYON. 179
between them. Mr. Archdall calls this place Killiad-
huin, and says that all we can learn about it is, that in
the beginning of the fifth century, St. " Keran of
Saigher" founded the nunnery of Killiadhuin for his
mother, Liadana, near to his own abbey. This seems
to be almost the entire information to be now gathered
concerning the early history of this place. It appears,
however, that if not the very first, this must, at all
events, have been one of the earliest nunneries in Ire-
land, and could we now see it as founded nearly
fourteen centuries ago, no doubt there would be
a great contrast between this primitive nunnery of
Liadana, and the present very beautiful convents in
the neighbourhood, at Birr and Roscrea. The name
Liadana, or Liadhuin pronounced as if written
Leean by having prefixed to it till, or kill, a
cell, or place of retirement, forms Killyon, the name
thus preserved through so many centuries. About
thirty years ago, a considerable part of the remains of
this religious house were standing, and included the
gate-house, with a wall about twelve feet high, and a
small round flanking tower at one of the corners of the
quadrangle. The loopholes of this tower commanded
the outside of the wall, on two faces of the enclosure.
The gate-house was square, and the gate itself must
have been capable of being very firmly secured, for
there were diagonal holes running through the
masonry on each side, apparently intended for chains.
In early times this must have been a place of great
hospitality, for about the year 1847, there was
180 KILLYON.
discovered there an underground apartment, which, in
its days, was evidently a cellar. In this cellar were
found a very curious iron key, and a number of old-
fashioned broken bottles, made of dark coloured
glass, as also fragments of high and narrow drinking
glasses ; and about the same time there were also
found near this cellar, a lump of yellowish metallic
alloy, resembling pyrites, and several large antique
shaped iron keys, and part of a large iron knife or
sword. There were then also dug up numerous short
horns of the old Irish kine, and the cooking hearth in
which meat was dressed and as it seemed in great
abundance was also discovered. This hearth was
placed in the middle of the court-yard, and did not
appear to have been sheltered from the weather. The
writer of this account of it saw the place very shortly
after the discovery referred to. The hearth was a
circular basin of about ten feet diameter, and two and
a-half feet deep, the bottom and sides being lined with
granite rocks, each containing about one or two cubic
feet. Close by the edges of this pit, on the surface
of the ground around it, were several similar rocks,
which, as well as the lining of the basin, exhibited
marks of having been subjected to intense heat.
There was a considerable quantity of charcoal, mixed
with ashes, all around.
In writing of the Fianna Eirionn, or Fenians the
Irish militia instituted before the Christian era, but
who attained the greatest perfection about the third
century under the celebrated Finn-mac-Coole
KILLYOX. 181
Keating describes a somewhat similar plan used by
them for dressing meat. It appears an ox was often
dressed entire in this manner, the hot stones being
placed within the carcase. These rude cooking places
in Ireland have been called by the peasantry Falachda
Fiann, which signifies, the Fenian encampment, but
the true appellation seems to be brothlac, as given in
O'Reilly's Dictionary, and which is formed from broth,
fire, or meat, and leach, a large stone or flag. It seems
agreed that this primitive mode of cooking in Ireland
must be of great antiquity indeed, and it is also very
probable that the custom was continued on for many
centuries, and was still in use so late as the four-
teenth, or even the fifteenth century. In the Fair
Maid of Perth, Sir Walter Scott refers to this mode of
cooking as being still used in Scotland in the end of the
fourteenth century. In there describing the prepara-
tions for a funeral banquet held at that period, he
writes that " Pits wrought in the hill-side, and lined
with heated stones, served as ovens for stewing
quantities of beef, mutton, and venison." It is un-
necessary to say that few were more correct in describ-
ing ancient customs than was this great writer. This
primitive mode of cooking food appears to have been
used in the Sandwich Islands even up to a late period.
It is scarcely necessary to mention that the term
" Fenian," of unhappy notoriety in modern times, has
originated with the once renowned militia of Finn-mac-
Coole.
It is much to be regretted that in late years this
182 KILLYON.
interesting ruin at Killyon has almost entirely disap-
peared ; for the gateway, the flanking tower, and the
wall which enclosed the lawn, have all vanished.
These were all barbarously pulled down, and the
materials, as also the granite rocks belonging to the
curious, ancient cooking hearth, were broken up and
used for repairing roads, or building a police barracks
in the neighbourhood. " Sic transit gloria mundi"
There now remains nothing to mark the site of the
once celebrated nunnery of St. Liadhuin, save the
crumbling ruin of a small gable-wall ; every trace
which could bear testimony to the pious zeal of the
nun, or to the generous hospitality of the Biadhtack
of former times, having been obliterated.
Killyon, and other lands in that neighbourhood,
were the property of Terence and John Coghlan, in the
reign of King James II. How the Coghlans acquired
these lands does not appear, but they forfeited them
when William III. succeeded to the throne. These,
together with other lands, were subsequently sold to
John Asgill of Eoss Castle, by the Commissioners for
sale of forfeited estates. The Conveyance describes
them as, "the manor of Killyon, with the castles,
towns, and lands of Eathure," &c., &c. ; and adds
that these lands had been u the estate of Terence and
John Coghlan, attainted." A person, apparently of
some consequence, named Herbert, or Harbert, resided
at Killyon in 1634 ; for, by a Deed, made on the 1st
of January that year, Daniel M'Gruilfoyle conveyed to
him and others, including Eobert Sweetman of Birr,
CLONBRONE. I S.'>
the manor of jfoinrone, &c., as " Nic Harbert de
Killion." This proBaHy was the Herbert said to
have been interred at Seir Kyran. We also find
that "Daniel Pritchett, of Killyon, gentleman, and
Hugh Conraghee, of Ballinahown, gentleman," were
sureties in 1704, for the Eev. John Kennedy, who
was then Eoman Catholic Parish Priest of " Seir
Keran, Koscomroe, and Kinnitty." Killyon and the
adjoining lands, are now the property of John V.
Cassidy, Esq., Barrister-at-Law.
The remarkable townland of Clonbrone, is not far
from Killyon, being about half way between Killyon
and Birr, and a mile or so from each place. It has
been already stated that Clonbrone was in ancient
Fearcall. The lands of Clonbrone were also included
in the grant to Asgill, before referred to. In the
account of Birr it has been mentioned (p. 43), that
the remains of what must have been celebrated glass
works, about the year 1623, were discovered at
Clonbrone in late years. There is mention of Clon-
brone, however, at a much earlier period. In the
Life of Saint Canice, who succeeded Saint Kyran at
Saiger, taken from a work in the library of the Dukes
of Burgundy at Brussels, and edited by the Most
Noble the Marquis of Ormond, it is stated that Saint
Canice used to retire to Clonbrone, and that he there
performed several miracles, and subjected himself to
many rigorous acts of penance and fasting. A full
account of this, and of some of the miracles performed
by him there, will be found in paragraph 33 and the
184 CLONBRONE.
following paragraphs, in this Life of Saint Canice.
It would appear from the words " silva propinqua,"
the wood near at hand, from which the deer came
each day to the Saint, that Clonbrone, as well as Seir
Eyran and Breaghmore, had woods in the vicinity at
this early period. It has been mentioned in the
account of Seir Kyran, that some years ago, the skull
of a bear was found at Clonbrone, adjoining the town-
land of Breaghmore. This skull was found here in
1848, at a depth of about 7 feet, amongst prostrate
bog oak trees, by persons making a new channel for
the Birr or Comcor river. The finding of this skull
caused a good deal of curiosity at the time, and gave
rise to considerable discussion in the Boyal Irish
Academy. Besides Colgan's statement as to the
death of the boy, Chichideus, by wolves in this neigh-
bourhood, and the fact of the adjoining townland
being called Breaghmore, from the "great wolf,"
there are other interesting circumstances connected
with the finding of this bear's skull at Clonbrone.
Thus it has been seen that the Comcor river near
the bed of which the skull was found flows on the
King's County side, from a branch of the Sliebh
Bloom Mountains. On the Queen's County side of
the same range, is the source of another river, popu-
larly called " the Delours," of the meaning of which
name, the people appear to be ignorant. It seems,
however, to be simply, De Vours that is, the river
" of the bear." It is curious how this river received
this French appellation, but if there were bears
CLONBRONE. 185
prowling heretofore on the Queen's County side of the
mountain, thus giving this river its name, it is not to
be wondered at, if some of these animals should also
ramble on the King's County side, by the banks of
the Comcor, and finally die there. Neither is it im-
probable, that the oak trees then, found with the bear's
skull, once formed part of the woods in which Saint
Kyran had fixed his solitary cell 1400 years ago, and
wherein Saint Canice had since done penance and
fasted. The name Clonbrone, seems indeed to be
derived from this later circumstance, as Cluain-a-broin
is literally, " the retired place of the fast."
CHAPTER XI.
SHINRONE, AND THE MARCHING OF THE " GREEN BOYS "
ON IT, IN 1828.
THE well known and remarkable little town called
Shinrone, is about six miles south of Birr. About
three miles from Birr, on the way to Shinrone, is
Rathbeg, where, according to Colgan, Saint Abban
built the monastery of Rathbecain, in Ely, and died,
in 650. The garden wall of the monastery, and an
ancient road to it, could be traced some years ago.
A great quantity of human bones were also dug up
there, but very little more is known about the place.
After passing Rathbeg on the way to Shinrone, is
Sharavogue House, the elegant residence of Colonel
the Honorable John C. Westenra, who for several
years represented the King's County in Parliament.
From Sharavogue there is a beautiful view of the
I" Devil's Bit," and other mountains of ancient
Ormond. Rathmore, where the O'Carrolls had one
of their castles, is also in the vicinity of Sharavogue.
Shinrone is the name of the parish and townland,
as well as of the town. The old name was Suidhe-an-
SHINROXE. 187
Roin, which, according to O'Donovan, signifies the
"sitting place of the seal, or hairy person." How-
ever, as Roin is generally found spelled with a capital
letter in the name, it is more probable it is here in-
tended for a man's name, and that Suidhe-an-Roin,
really signifies "the seat of Eoin." The town consists
of Shinrone proper the eastern end, and Cloghmoile,
now generally spelled Cloughmoyle the western
portion. At Cloughmoyle, the ruins of the castle
occupy a prominent place on a steep hill, commanding
the bridge and river. These ruins are within the
grounds of George Percy Foe, Esq., whose residence
is near at hand. Cloghmoile seems formed from clock,
a stone, and mael, an adjective, signifying bald or
pointless. Mael is also a noun, and as such, means a
hill or hillock.
The neighbourhood of Shinrone appears in early
times to have been a chosen place for sun-worship, and
accordingly there were some years ago at Maghery-
more, close to the town, several of the Druidical up-
right stones, common in Ireland. The climbing of
these stones was heretofore one of the holiday pas-
times of the young men of Shinrone. The peasantry
looked on them as finger stones, thrown thither from
liindufte Mountain, by Finn-mac-Coole and his com-
panions, in a trial of strength. If anything were
wanting, to prove that these stones were used for
religious purposes in days long gone by, the mum-
Magherymore, that is, " the great field of adoration,"
would fully establish that fact ; and there are besides,
188 SHINRONE.
several other places in the neighbourhood, the names
of which seem to be derived in like manner, as
Greenagort or Gortgreen, which means, " the field of
the sun."
The Four Masters tell us, that in the year 1533,
the Earl of Kildare marched a second time into Ely,
to aid Ferganainm 0' Carroll to Suidhe-an-Roin, and
that when besieging the castle, one of his best con-
stables was slain, and after having taken the castle he
^ returned home.
The Mac Guilfoyles appear in former times to have
ruled over Shinrone and neighbourhood, subject,
however, to the O'Carrolls. O'Heerin, in reference to
O'Quinlevan, and Mac Giollaphail, or Mac Gilfoyle,
has the following :
" A chief for whom the nut-trees produce fair fruit,
Kules over Clan Quinlevan of immense wealth ;
The scion of Biorra of the warlike tribe,
Is Mac Gilfoyle of the fair fortress."
Shinrone appears to have been called by different
names in past times. Thus in the inquisition taken
in 1551, finding the rectories belonging to the hos-
pital, near Nenagh, called Tyone. it is spelled " Goyno-
voyne," and the rectory was found of the yearly value
of twenty shillings. Subsequently in 1562, it was
granted to Oliver Grace, by the name of " Coynrane ; "
and again by letters patent, dated 20th of August
1680, the rectory church, and tithes of "Teyneraine,
alias Synroan," were granted to John, Bishop of Kil-
laloe, and his successors, in trust for the clergy of
the diocese. It does not appear clearly by whom the
SHIXRONE. 180
church of Shinrone was originally founded, but from
various circumstances, it seems probable, that, it
was founded by Saint Ruadhan, the patron Saint
of Lorha.
The Four Masters record that in the year 1600,
Redmond Burke, son of John " of the Shamrocks)"
and his brother, took many castles in Ely, and the
Ormonds, amongst which was Suidhe-an-Roin.
By inquisition taken at Philipstown in 1626, it
was found that Oliver Grace was seized at his death
of part of the rectory of " Soynroane," part of the then
lately dissolved monastery of St. John (Tyone), near
Nenagh; that he died the 27th of August 1626, and
that his son and his widow were entitled to his pro-
perty. By another inquisition taken in 1640, Daniel
Mac Gilfoyle was found seized of the manor, town
and lands of " Synroane," then containing ten houses,
&c., and also of the lands of Magherymore and Gort-
green, and several other lands, t>arcel of the aforesaid
manor. He was also found seized of a Court Leet,
and Court Baron, to be held within said manor ; of
two fairs to be held in Synroane annually, on the
feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Martin, and of a
weekly Thursday market, with all profits. It was
further found that said Daniel Mac Gilfoyle, by Deed
of 1634, had enfeoffed of all the premises, one
Herbert or Harbert, of Killion, Robert Sweetman, of
Birr, and others ; that King Charles II., by letters
patent, in the thirteenth year of his reign, granted
all the premises to said Daniel, and his heirs, and
190 SHINRONE.
that Owen Mac Gilfoyle his cousin-german and heir,
was then nineteen years of age, and married.
In December 1666, sixty one and a half acres of
unprofitable land in " Sinrone," with 534 acres of
Corolanty, and other lands, were granted to Cornet
Eichard Bancroft, and Elizabeth his wife, daughter
and heiress of Henry White, then deceased. In
February following, Sir "William Flower and John
Baldwin, obtained a patent of Shinrone and Kilbally-
soke, with a castle thereon, and 576 acres, together
with part of several other denominations, in all about
2,678 acres; subject to 33, 9s. 4|d. Quit Eent.
The portion of these lands which fell to the share of
the patentee, Baldwin, subsequently passed into the
hands of the well known Provost Baldwin, who
bequeathed them to Trinity College, Dublin. In
acknowledgment of this bequest, a splendid cenotaph
is erected to Provost Baldwin's memory, in the
Examination Hall of Trinity College.
It has been already mentioned in the account of
Birr, that in 1689, Colonel Oxburgh the father-in-
law of Lieutenant Colonel Owen Carroll, having been
appointed Provost Marshall of the King's County, he
caused a gallows to be erected at Shinrone, on which
he had a poor man hanged, because some mutton was
found hidded in his garden.
In the year 1792, the rectory and vicarage of
Shinrone was united, by Act of Parliament, to the
rectory, and vicarage of Kilmurry, and these were
afterwards episcopally united to the rectory of
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 191
Kilcommon. It appears from what has been written,
that from ten houses in the year 1640, Shinrone has
increased to its present size. It seems better to leave
Kileommon, and some other remarkable places in the
vicinity of Shinrone, unnoticed for the present, while
we refer to circumstances in connexion with the town
of Shinrone, and the surrounding country, which,
occurring in comparatively recent times, form an
important portion of the great history of Catholic
Emancipation. The details of these circumstances
cannot, it is believed, be read without interest, parti-
cularly when related after the lapse of nearly forty
years, by one who was eye-witness of what he endea-
vours to describe, and who took a prominent part in a
considerable portion of it.
In the year 1828, the popular excitement occa-
sioned by the deferring of Catholic Emancipation, had
reached to a great height, and simultaneous meetings
were held in all the Parishes of Ireland. Whether
these assemblages were at the time recommended
with a view to overawe the Government, by an ex-
hibition of physical force, or with whatever other
view, it is now immaterial to inquire. Held, how-
ever, they were, and such meetings having taught the
rural population the practice of multitudinous gather-
ings, and numerical demonstrations, the peasantry of
the country soon after began to assemble together,
not by parishes, nor yet by baronies, but by the more
extended scale of counties and provinces.
In the year mentioned, immense numbers had
192 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
congregated at, and marched in military procession
through, the towns of Thurles, Cashel, and Temple-
more. For some time these assemblies went on with-
out opposition, and unaccompanied by violence. In
the month of September 1828, a countless multitude
of men and women met from the counties of Tip-
perary and Kilkenny, as well as from the Queen's
County, and a portion of the King's, and paraded
through the town of Roscrea, decorated with ribbons
and other insignia, and trappings of green, to the real
or pretended alarm of those opposed to the concession
of Emancipation. This Eoscrea meeting before its
separation, agreed to celebrate the following Sunday,
which fell on the 28th September, by making a
similar demonstration in Shinrone. From the pre-
dominant colour worn by those so congregated, they
were denominated " Green Boys," by which appella-
tion they will be here referred to.
Although the progress of such vast assemblages had
been hitherto unaccompanied by even the most trifling
violence, either to the persons or properties of political
or religious opponents, nevertheless, the danger of
permitting such immense multitudes of people to
parade, without responsible leaders or lawful organiza-
tion or control, and where, consequently, a single
lawless act of violence, nay, even an irritating expres-
sion used by an intemperate individual, might lead to
the most alarming results; such danger at length
appeared to the then existing Government to be of so
serious a nature as to call upon the Executive to stop,
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 193
and with a strong and uncompromising hand, too, all
future proceedings of a similar character.
It is well-known that Shinrone was, in the year
1 828, a perfect hot-bed of rampant Orangeism, in which
the vile fungi of party, of the most ignorant, bigotted,
and sanguinary description, shot forth into maturity,
with an exuberance unknown, perhaps, in any other
part of Ireland. As most of the Shinrone Orangemen
of that day are now dead, what is here stated will
pass lightly over their graves. Instead of endeavour-
ing to revive the political and religious acerbity of
that time, let us leave it with those who are now gone
to sleep that " sleep which knows no waking." Shin-
rone as it then was, has been alluded to merely with
a view to show that the few days which elapsed be-
tween the meeting at Eoscrea and the day fixed on for
the demonstration in Shinrone, were naturally spent
by the more cautious and sober, in anxious anticipa-
tions and conjectures as to the event of the intended
progress through the metropolis of Clonlisk Barony.
The very celebrity of Shinrone for superlative
Orangeism the fanatic frenzy of its bigotry, added to
its being a well-known arsenal of yeomanry and other
arms and munitions of war as also a place where the
Orange flag was not known, in the memory of the
oldest person, to have ceased floating on the breeze
each successive 1st and 12th of July, and anniversary
of the so-called Popish Gunpowder Treason all these
circumstances, as well as the language of defiance held
out by the Shinronians, were so many magnets attracting
N
194 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
thither the Green Boys, for the purpose of showing
the people of Shinrone that march through their town
they would, let the hazard be what it might. This
spirit had spread its epidemic contagion amongst the
peasantry far and wide. On the other hand, the
townspeople supposed that their ancient character for
exclusive loyalty, their oft- vaunted, but yet untried
bravery, and long upheld banner of ascendency, would
be sullied, were they to suffer the Roman Catholic
peasantry to pass peaceably and unmolested through a
stronghold so renowned as theirs. Accordingly, the
<_J CJ / /
inhabitants of Shinrone employed themselves during the
few days allowed them, in rendering the place, as they
supposed, impregnable. The doorways and lower
windows of most of the houses were firmly barricaded
to exclude the invaders. Sashes were removed from
the upper windows so as to convert the latter into
embrasures for the use of musketry and other fire-
arms, and everything (save the employment of con-
ciliation, tolerance, and moderation) which could tend
to secure the citadel, was attempted, or accomplished.
The yeomanry and other arms in the town were
quickly cleaned up, and rendered serviceable. Addi-
tional arms and auxiliaries were procured from all the
neighbouring lodges, bullets were cast without num-
ber, and many thousands of ball-cartridges were made.
In such preparations as these the time was con-
sumed by both parties, after the Eoscrea meeting,
until the post arrived in Birr on the morning of the
following Saturday, the 27th of September, when a
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 195
large official despatch came from Dublin Castle to
Lord Oxmantown, the late Earl of Eosse. The Duke
of Wellington was at that time First Lord of the
Treasury, and the Marquis of Anglesea was Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland. The despatch in question con-
tained one of those decided acts which formed so
strong a trait in the character of His Grace of Wel-
lington. It was shortly, and in substance, an order to
Lord Oxmantown to take with him to Shinrone a
competent force of military and police, on the 28th of
September, the Sunday appointed for the procession of
the Green Boys there, and to resist by force, and
without any parley, this procession of countless
thousands to be congregated from all the adjoining
counties, and some of whom must have actually left
their distant homes for Shinrone at the time the Castle
letter reached Lord Oxmantown' s hands.
In this state of circumstances, an extensive and
sanguinary collision between the authorities and the
populace seemed to be almost inevitable. Had such
collision occurred, it is not possible to say what might
have been the sad results. The constituted forces
possibly would have been met and opposed by undis-
ciplined numbers, and however unequal the conflict,
and finally unavailing, countless human lives would cer-
tainly have been sacrificed. The country would have be-
come the theatre of civil strife, and the survivors of the
defeated peasantry would, for succeeding years, have
roamed outlaws over the island like the raparees of
William's time, or the more recent deluded enthusiasts
196 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
of 1798. Such was the dismal aspect of affairs, when
Providence happily ordained a more fortunate issue.
It so happened that almost immediately on the order
to Lord Oxmantown having been resolved on in
Dublin Castle, that circumstance became known to
a Eoman Catholic gentleman, deservedly high in
the opinion of the Government. This gentleman lost
not a moment in endeavouring to avert the deep mis-
fortunes to arise from a strict execution of the order,
and a letter from him arrived in Birr by the same post
which brought the Government Despatch in question.
In that letter this gentleman stated that Government
had issued its commands, as already mentioned, and
he humanely suggested the propriety of some persons
who might possess influence with the people, going
forth immediately to stop the intended procession,
and thereby prevent the melancholy consequences of
the military and peasantry meeting in hostile contact.
Compliance with this charitable suggestion was not
to be effected either easily or safely. The Green
Boys had already seen themselves in their numerical
strength, and their minds were fixed on marching
through Shinrone, for which purpose their fantastic
green emblems and decorations were already prepared.
The men had purchased green sashes and hat bands,
and the women had just decked their caps and bonnets
with the national colour, nor were green handkerchiefs
wanting to cover their modest bosoms. With the
Green Boys it was a darling enterprise to show the
intolerants of Shinrone their multitudes and physical
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 197
power, and hence it was no ordinary matter to turn
them from their purpose. The peasantry from the
central parts of the King's County were to march
through Birr, and there be joined by the people of
that town and surrounding parishes, who had pro-
vided for the occasion suitable banners, and a band of
music, with a high platform mounted on the under-
carriage of a post-chaise, to bear their standard and
musicians high above the crowd. The County Gal-
way Green Boys were to move by Portumna, and
uniting with their associates from the neighbourhood
of Burrisokane, were to proceed to the main body
before entering Shinrone. The people of the County
Kilkenny, Queen's County, and north-eastern districts
of Tipperary, were to meet the Roscrea men, while
those from Cashel, Thurles, Burrisoleigh, and Toome-
vara, were to advance from the mountain side, through
the village of Cloughjordan.
Such were the preparations for the pageant of the
following day, on Saturday, when the peremptory
mandate to resist the march by force, and without
parley, came to hand. The population of several
counties had firmly resolved on proceeding in proces-
sion through Shinrone. Had that procession taken
place it would, at least, have shown those who resided
in that bigotted little town, how insignificant they
were when compared with the multitudes their narrow
policy sought to keep in thraldom. In such a state of
things, where was to be found any person possessing
nerve enough to attempt diverting from a favourite
198 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
and settled practice of processions, already had through
several other towns without molestation ? Again,
supposing an individual or two forthcoming, of suffi-
cient courage for the undertaking, it was a question if
they would have activity and energy equal to counter-
act the movement of such various and numerous
bands of Green Boys and Green Girls, converging simul-
taneously from so many districts, upon the Mecca of
that pilgrimage to which heated fancy and more
urgent sense of wrong were leading them. It was in
this predicament that the late venerated and talented
Eoman Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, the Eight Eev.
Patrick Kennedy, who was then Yicar- General, and
Parish Priest of Birr, and Mr. Thomas Lalor Cooke,
also of Birr, the writer of this account of the occur-
rence, consulted on the measures most likely to pre-
vent the impending danger. There was not a moment
to be lost " Deliberat Roma, perit Saguntum " was the
motto. Time was pressing, and prolonged deliberation
was out of the question. They speedily resolved that
a meeting of the inhabitants of Birr should forthwith
be called in the Eoman Catholic Chapel of that town.
The decision was no sooner come to than the proposed
meeting was convened, the circumstances laid before
it, and, after some hesitation, those present pledged
themselves not only not to go to Shinrone the follow-
ing day, but to become a sort of special constables to
intercept and arrest all others journeying to the wished-
for place through Birr. Having thus happily begun
their self-appointed mission, Dr. Kennedy and Mr,
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 199
Cooke forthwith started together for Eoscrea, where
they arrived late that evening. They immediately
waited on the then worthy Priest of the Parish, the
late lamented and respected Rev. Mr. O'Shaughnessy,
who, with the late patriotic Stephen Egan, Esq., and
some other influential gentlemen, after some sturdy
expostulation, became convinced of the necessity of
the measure in hand.
The public bellman was sent through the town to
call the inhabitants to the Chapel, which is now
replaced by the beautiful new Roman Catholic Church
of Roscrea. It was by this time dark, and the sacred
edifice was dimly illuminated by candle-light. Both
the Chapel and the space in front of it were densely
thronged with men and women, anxious to learn for
what purpose they were so unexpectedly brought to-
gether. "When it was announced that the people were
assembled, Dr. Kennedy and his associate, accompanied
by the Parish Priest and other gentlemen, repaired to
the Chapel, where their object was already whispered
about. As they entered the portals of the house of
God, the dark group of grim-visaged, gaunt, athletic
men who stood around inquired aloud, and in an
angry tone of voice, evidently with a view to the
question being heard, " What brought them here?
Why did they not stay at home and mind their own
business, without troubling themselves about us?"
Such a salutation was no very flattering omen from
which to predict success. Nevertheless, Dr. Kennedy
and Mr. Cooke proceeded with their business without
200 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
dismay or delay. They had previously arranged be-
tween themselves, that whenever they should fall in
with any concourse of persons willing to hearken to
their advice, Mr. Cooke should, in the first instance,
address them, stating what and who they were ; that
they came as friends, and the cause of their coming,
with such other observations as he might think ap-
propriate. After this beginning by Mr. Cooke, Dr.
Kennedy was then to bear upon his hearers with the
full force of his eloquence, and, exercising his influence
as a clergyman, by means thereof, and of his unfailing
flow of language, to divert them from their darling
object the procession to Shinrone.
In the course of Mr. Cooke' s address at Eoscrea, a
feeble and decrepid old woman in one of the galleries
cried out, as if the passage of Shinrone depended on
her individual efforts, " And are we to be deterred by
the paltry Orangemen of Shinrone ? "
Mr. Cooke instantly replied that he contemplated
no such thing, adding that when he remembered he
was then speaking in the town of Eoscrea, whose
unarmed and unprepared inhabitants had in days of
yore routed and slain Olfin, a Danish general, and his
4,000 followers, he could not think it possible its
people were so degenerate as to be deterred by a
handful of petty Orangemen in Shinrone. Although
this timely allusion to the battle of SS. Peter and
Paul, about the middle of the tenth century, silenced
the troublesome old woman in the gallery, Dr.
Kennedy afterwards felt it necessary to revert to the
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 201
subject in the course of his powerful address, in order
to complete that perfect good humour which is so
requisite for an orator to hold his hearers in. By
exciting in them a spirit of self-esteem, the Eoscrea
people were rendered superior to the fear of censure,
and finally pledged themselves, as those in Birr had
previously done, to intercept and send home all that
might be going to Shinrone by that way. This
pledge they implicitly kept, and on the following
morning, the dreaded Sunday the 28th of September,
they arrested, amongst many others, the march of a
1 party of upwards of 1,000 Green Boys mounted
on horses, who had travelled all night from Galmoy,
in the County Kilkenny.
Dr. Kennedy and the companion of his undertaking
having slept that night in Eoscrea, set out at break of
day on Sunday morning to Dunkerrin, where they
were received by the Eev. Mr. Nolan, P.P. This
*>^rev. gentleman on being made acquainted with their
object, undertook, with his curate, to answer for his
4r parishes. Leaving Dunkerrin and Money gall to the
Xfj^l care of the above clergymen, Dr. Kennedy and Mr.
.ij Cooke proceeded, amongst other places, to the town
Fjh of Clpughjordanj and from thence to a county parish
L r y chapel situate at Grawnorish, in the County Tipperary.
JP The dwelling-house of the then aged and worthy
Parish Priest, the Eev. Mr. Dunne, since deceased, at
that time adjoined this chapel. Dr. Kennedy and his
fellow-traveller arrived just as the people were about
to quit the house of God, after having assisted at the
202 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
celebration of Mass. So intent was the large congre-
gation there assembled on repairing to Shinrone, that
both men and women, to the number of about 2,000,
were already equipped in their green habiliments. It
was even surmised that they were not altogether un-
prepared for defence. Whatever might have been the
cause of such conduct, the venerable Parish Priest
who had watched over his flock there for years,
and was respected by them as their fond pastor,
actually declined to introduce the strangers to his
congregation. Some attributed his refusal to fear, and he
even gave the Vicar- General to understand that it was
unsafe for anyone to attempt to dissuade the people
from their intended journey.
Notwithstanding this prudent but discouraging
counsel, the Rev. Dr. Kennedy and Mr. Cooke, self-
conscious that their coming hither was caused solely
by a desire to do good, determined to try the effect of
an address to the assembled multitude. They accord-
ingly presented themselves in front of the altar to the
densely crowded audience, and, as done by them in
Eoscrea and other places, they expostulated with the
assemblage. Fortunately their advice was received
with attention and kindness in the same spirit with
which it was offered.
Those assembled, as well men as women, imme-
diately divested themselves of those foolish trappings
of party with which they had appeared decorated, even
during the solemn celebration of Divine service. It is
a fact worthy of especial notice, that the women here
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 203
were the first to strip off their own darling green
ribbons and handkerchiefs, and then they helped the
men to follow their example. In some instances the
women, with great good sense and remarkable self-
devotion, forcibly tore the green emblems off their
unwilling male friends in the chapel. It is unnecessary
to add that each individual of the congregation left
Grawnorish for his own home, bearing with him a
commission to intercept all other Green Boys.
We will now leave the Green Boys for a while, and
see how matters were going on in Shinrone. It was
after eleven o'clock on the portentous Sunday, when
Dr. Kennedy and Mr. Cooke departed from Graw-
norish, fully pleased with the result of their embassy
in that quarter. By that hour the town of Shinrone
appeared as if in a state of siege, and only waiting an
expected coup de main of the enemy. Lord Oxman-
town was there proudly powerful amid the panoply of
war, at the head of a large body of police, horse and
foot, and two full regiments of infantry of the line.
Of one of these regiments which occupied the town, a
large body entrenched itself in an empty brew-house
that stood in a large yard enclosed by a high wall.
This position commanded the bridge. The military
were supported by a force of 200 or 300 infantry
police, and a large force of police cavalry. Every
house was a distinct fortification, the doors being, as
already mentioned, blocked up, and the window sashes
removed, while the Orange Chilians stood to their
guns within, each being armed to the teeth. The old
204 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
castle on the elevation at the end of the town, called
Cloughmoyle, was also occupied by the military, while
the national red ensign floated conspicuously in the
breeze from a lofty flag-staff on its summit. This flag
was visible to the country for miles around.
An Orange flag bearing insulting party inscriptions
was hoisted in the town, but Lord Oxmantown, under
the cool and excellent advice of his worthy uncle, the
late Colonel Lloyd, who always kept the Shinrone
Orangemen down, insisted on its being struck, declar-
ing that if it was not immediately lowered he would
withdraw the troops, and leave the inhabitants to
whatever fate awaited them. The second regiment of
military was formed at a convenient distance, on an
eminence overlooking Sharavogue Bridge, with a view
to cover, if necessary, the retreat towards Birr of the
troops more immediately occupying the threatened
town, or to advance to their support, as occasion
might require.
While affairs were in the state just described, in the
beleagured fortress, Dr. Kennedy and his associate,
leaving the scene of their success at Grawnorish,
posted at a rapid rate towards Shinrone, for the pur-
pose of intercepting a party of about 2,500 Green
Boys which they learned had already advanced
through bye-roads thither. This division of Green
Boys they fortunately fell in with and headed, at a
cross road within a quarter of a mile from Shinrone.
The chaise in which Dr. Kennedy and his companion
travelled, they caused to be at once drawn across the
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 205
road, so as to in part obstruct the passage of the
Green Boys, and having mounted the driver's rickety
seat, they from that rostrum harrangued one of the
most obstinate and intractable audiences that ever
speakers had to address. The cause of such obstinacy
was three-fold. In the first place, this advanced divi-
sion of Green Boys having outstripped all the rest,
had already marched almost into the very town they
had vowed to visit. They considered themselves a
self-elected forlorn hope, and, as was rumoured, were
not wholly unprepared for such an exploit, or to
return with interest any assault that might be made
upon them in their passage. Such preparations for
self-defence rendered those composing this advanced
division the more confident. It therefore was the
more difficult, as well as dangerous, for strangers to
try to turn them, against their inclination, from an
object they had all but sworn to accomplish, and
which seemed to be already within their reach. When
danger is here alluded to, the reader will bear in
mind that events are being related which happened in
1828, a year which long preceded the hallowed mis-
sion of the Apostle of Temperance, and when numbers
of intoxicated, unruly, and violent persons were found
in every large assemblage of the peasantry. Secondly,
these Green Boys, and those fair enthusiasts who
accompanied them, having paraded so far in their
fantastic dresses, it was considered by them to be
disgraceful to retire, as it were in the face of the
enemy. Thirdly, and principally, the people mistook
206 SHINRONE AND THE GEEEN BOYS.
the national red ensign which floated from Shinrone
Castle for the hated Orange flag, and it appeared to
be flying there as if to defy them to a more near ap-
proach. Some peaceable, sober, and influential
farmers who happened to be near the head of the
Green Boy column, however, happily attended to the
friendly admonitions delivered from the chaise, and
ultimately the whole party, with the exception of some
few stragglers, retired the same road by which they
had advanced. It would be exceedingly difficult at
< ' V
this distance of time to describe the extraordinary
dresses adopted by this last-mentioned division of Green
Boys. The hats of many of the men had goose quills
stuck in rows standing upright from under the hat-
band. These quills communicated to the wearers the
appearance of wild Indians. Each individual was
arrayed in the most absurd kind of finery he could
procure, but all had more or less green about them.
The interposition of Providence was more distinctly
perceptible here than elsewhere on this memorable
day, in preventing a collision which, if begun, must,
as already mentioned, have ended in the effusion of
much blood, and the loss of many valuable lives.
Had not Dr. Kennedy and his assistant fortunately
arrived at the cross-road before the Green Boy column
reached it, the procession would have advanced un-
warned and heedless until it entered the town, and
was there encountered by the organized military and
the Orangemen. The remainder of the 28th of Sep-
tember 1828, passed off without the occurrence of
SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS. 207
anything worthy of remark, save an indescribable
scene of confusion which took place in Shinrone
Chapel while the people were at Mass. By some
accident, a cry was raised in the chapel that the
Orangemen were coming to slaughter those assembled
there at prayers. Immediately each person sought to
escape from the chapel as he best could. Many were
trampled under foot, and a great number forced their
way out through the windows, bearing sashes, glass,
and all before them. It was some time before tran-
quillity was restored.
The late Laurence, Earl of Rosse, was often heard
to state afterwards, that he had been informed by no
less an authority than the Duke of Wellington himself,
that the successful result of the mission, of which only
a faint outline is here given, was with his Grace an
eminently accelerating cause for conceding the Act
for Catholic Emancipation, which followed soon after.
Few persons now, after such a lapse of time, can justly
appreciate the extent of danger and difficulty, Dr.
Kennedy and Mr. Cooke encountered on that trying
occasion. Fewer still, save those who are intimately
acquainted with the circumstances, can value at a just
rate the blessings then conferred upon society by the
quiet dispersion of the hundred thousands who were
moving from all quarters towards Shinrone. How
many a family was indebted to the turn given to the
events of that day, for the life of a father, a brother, a
sister, or other dear relative ! Much, truly, does this
country owe to Providence on this occasion for having
208 SHINRONE AND THE GREEN BOYS.
thus averted civil strife and bloodshed ; and for having
given instead, a new and irresistible impulse to the
triumphant car of civil liberty, hurrying it on to the
goal, by showing the English Government what a
single Eoman Catholic clergyman, aided by one
humble layman, could do with so many thousands of
then proscribed Irishmen.
The anniversary of the 28th of September 1828,
was for a long time celebrated in Shinrone in token of
the providential deliverance of the town on that day.
Had each Green Boy but carried away a single stone,
scarcely a vestige of the devoted town would have
remained, so great were the numbers of those about to
visit it.
It is now more than forty years since the Green
Boys marched on Shinrone, and nearly all the Green
Boys and Orangemen then so earnestly engaged, have
passed away. Cannot Irishmen, even now, see the
folly of such proceedings, which, in this instance, was
so near leading to bloodshed, devastation, and ruin?
Must the Green flag on one side, and the Orange on
the other, be still and for ever unfurled in opposition,
by the unhappy sons of Ireland, without knowing for
what ; and can there be found, even now, no colour or
hue which, blending the Orange and Green, would
form a standard under which all Irishmen could rally
for the good of their common, but neglected and
deserted country ?
CHAPTER XII.
KTLCOMAION AXD BRTJSNA. LEAP, CLOXLISZ, AND
DTTNKERRIN OR FRAXCKFORT, CASTLES.
BEING now done with the Orangemen of Shinrone, and
the Green Boys who marched in 1828 upon that then
bigotted little town, we will take a glance at what
was going on in the neighbourhood some thirteen
or fourteen centuries before either Orangeman or
Green Boy was heard of.
At Kilcommon, already mentioned in connexion
with Shinrone, there are about two miles from Shin-
rone, the remains of an ancient monastery as to which
the Monasticon Hibernic&iinfoYms us that St. Cumene
or Cuimin, sumamed u the white," the son of Ernan,
a nobleman of Tirconnel, received his education in the
Abbey of Hy, and founded a church here. Dr.
Lanigan supposes that St. Cuimin was educated at
Burrow Monastery, which is also in the King's
County. At all events, he either founded or governed
a monastery within the district of Eoscrea Abbey.
The place was called Disert Chuimin, disert being the
Irish for a lonely, deserted spot, such as the earl)*
Irish saints would like to select. The name was also
o
210 K1LCOMMON.
applied to the churches erected in such places. St.
Cuimin is reported to have spoken most learnedly in
the famous Synod of Leighlin^on the subject of the pro-
per" time for the celebration of Easter, and he after-
wards wrote a very learned epistle in defence of the
Eoman time for the Paschal. It has been properly
remarked that this epistle proves that St. Cuimin had
an extraordinary degree of learning of various kinds,
and shows how well stocked with books Irish libraries
were in the seventh century, when he wrote. In
reference to Kilcommon, his place of abode, St.
Cuimin says, " Hsec dixi non ut vos impugnarem, sed
ut me ut nycticoracem in domicilio lactitantem de-
fenderem ; " which is, "I said these things not for the
purpose of arguing with you, but to defend myself as
an owl constantly hiding in, the place of my abode.''
These words were quite in place when applied to Kil-
common, in those days when it merited the appellation
disert, a lonely place. Archdall says that St. Cuimin
was afterwards abbot at Hy, and that he died the 24th
of February, in the year 668 ; but Dr. Lanigan asserts
that he never was abbot of Hy, and says that St.
Cuimin of Ej.lcom.mon has been strangely confounded
with Cumineous albus, or "the white." The last
mentioned -writer thinks that Cuimin of Kilcommon is
the person surnamed Facia, or the long, admitted to
have been celebrated for his learning, and who died in
November or December, in the year 662. The Four
Masters and the Annals of Ulster, as likewise Colgau,
have his death at this year.
KILCOMMON. 211
At the year 1162, the Four Masters state that the
relics " of Cummaine Fada were removed from the
earth by the clergy of Brenainn " (Clonfert) " and they
were enclosed in a protecting shrine." It appears
from this that the relics of St. Cuimin were deemed
worthy of being exhumed, and placed in a shrine for
better preservation, five hundred years after his death.
It is said that St. Cuimin had a brother named Beccan, a
recluse, who, as Colgan says, was likewise called Euim,
or Euiminn, pronounced as if Eouen. Possibly lie
might have had a cell at the neighbouring townland
of Shinrone, and that it is to him Shinrone is indebted
for a name.
In a rock, near Rutland, in the neighbourhood of
Ivilcommon, are some marks like impressions from
human knees and arms. These, at least some years
ago, were held in high veneration as being the marks
of St. Cuimin' s devotional prostrations the devout
saint having, by continual prayer, worn traces in the
solid limestone. Strange as such a notion may appear,
the fact was possible. The adage says, the constant
drop will hollow a stone, and this is verified in the
Abbey of Holy Cross, where the Braon Comhsanadh,
or Constant drop, by continually falling from the
groined arch overhead, has worn a hole more than an
inch deep, in the corner of a marble tomb-stone. But
the marks in St. Cuimin's rock are also accounted for in
another manner, in the legendary lore of Ivilcommon.
The story, which the reader may believe or not, as he
thinks proper, is as follows : Some difference having
212 KILCOMMON.
arisen in olden times between St. Cuimin of Kilcom-
mon, and St. Cronan of Koscrea, respecting the
boundaries of their respective ecclesiastical districts,
it was agreed between them that on a certain morning
each should set out from his own monastery, and walk
to meet the other. The boundary was to be settled
wherever they met that morning. St. Cronan, who, it
appears, was a cunning old man, took care on the ap-
pointed day to rise very early, and he arrived at the
door of Kilcommon church just as the unsuspecting
and easy St. Cuimin was sprinkling the holy water,
after celebrating Mass. Hearing that St. Cronan was
outside, St. Cuimin went forth to salute him, and per-
chance in the hospitable spirit of those days, to invite
him in to breakfast. No sooner had they met, than St.
Cronan said, " This spot is the boundary of our juris-
diction." St. Cuimin protested against what he con-
sidered the unfair advantage taken of him, and begged
that at all events his district might be allowed to ex-
tend as far from the church door where he then stood,
as he could throw the asperges in his hand to.
" Agreed," said St. Cronan. "Whereupon St. Cuimin
flung the asperges with superhuman force. No arrow
from the bow of Eobin Hood or Little John, ever took
such a flight. Off it went through the air until it
dropped near the place now called Anneville, about
three miles distant, and there the boundary was ac-
cordingly established. St. Cronan being greatly
vexed at this event, in his anger pursued St. Cuimin,
who, while endeavouring to escape, suddenly flung
KllCOMMON. 213
himself down upon the rock near Rutland, with such
force, that to this day it bears the impression of his
hands and knees, as already described.
There are three very remarkable elm trees called
" Cuimin's trees," still growing around and close to
this rock. It is said they were planted many years
ago by the owner of the property, in place of three
yew trees of unknown age, but straight as an arrow,
which had previously grown in the same spot, and
were supposed to have been planted by the Saint him-
self. These last mentioned trees, however, were, as
was also said, unfortunately cut down, as the result of
a wager between the owner of the place and a neigh-
bouring gentleman. An ancient bell, said to have
been the bell of St. Cuimin, was preserved in the
parish up to thirty or forty years ago. There was a
tradition to the effect that it had been found in a well
close to the ruins of Kilcommon church.
On the outside of Kilcommon church-yard, there
stood heretofore the dwelling-house in which the cele-
brated Father Brooks lived. He was Parish Priest
here in the troubled times of 1798, and his chapel
stood hard by. But the house of God and its Priest
both fell under the displeasure of those in power at
that time. The chapel was set on fire and consumed,
and Father Brooks was deemed unfit to abide longer
in Leinster, and it was well for himself he was suffered
to live longer anywhere. Ho was sentenced to be
transported into Connaught, and that sentence was
forthwith executed by putting him over the ferry
214 BBtJtSNA.
which then plied where Portumna bridge now stands.
No sooner was the arrival of Father Brooks made
known in Connaught, than the gentlefolks of that
province felt their pride touched, and their loyalty
called in question. Although the Galway people were
always, even from the days of King Guaire, proverbial
for hospitality, they did not relish the company of the
clerical exile. Tt reminded them of the old plantation,
when Connaught was made the receptacle for those
turned out elsewhere it made their country a penal
settlement and, without much overstraining of the
picture, they fancied they saw themselves degraded
into bushrangers. They accordingly marched Father
Brooks back again to Kilcommon, and it is said that
had they met with those who had transported him,
they would have inflicted summary chastisement for
their presumption.
The village called Brusna is not far from Shinrone,
and is about six miles from Birr. Brusna is a very
ancient place, and in Colgan's Ada Sanctorum, is
denominated Craibheach, which means a bundle of dry
sticks or brushwood, still known as "a brusna," in
parts of the country. The Tripartite has it, u locaqua
Brosnachea appellatur '." The river called Little
Brusna seems to derive its name from passing by this
place. We learn from Mr. Archdall, and the
authorities he refers to, that " Croebheach," near the
river " Brusnach," was founded by St. Patrick, who
placed there his disciple, St. Daluan. Archdall mistakes,
however, in placing Croebheach in the County Kerry,
BRUSNA. 215
instead of in the King's County, which error is the
more curious us he refers to the Ada Sanctorum, in
which Colgan expressly states, that Croebheach was
near Brusna, a river of eastern- Munster. Even Arch-
dall himself says it was near this river, whereas there
was no such river in Kerry, which was in south
Munster, while Ormond was in east Munster.
Colgan also informs us that St. Trian was bishop
and abbot here, about the year 450, and that he enter-
tained St. Patrick on his way from Tirdaglas and
Lothra (now Tcrryglass and Lorha), to Hyfailc. It is
recorded that when St. Patrick was on some occasion
travelling through what is now part of the King's
County, Odran, his charioteer, learned that a plot
had been formed by a certain chief to kill the Saint, as
he was driving in his chariot along the road. Odran,
upon this, induced the Saint to change places with
him, and thus the faithful servant met the death
intended for his master. It does not clearly appear,
whether or not this occurred on the occasion of this
visit of St. Patrick to Brusna, but Odran thus killed,
is said to have been the first, if not the only martyr,
during the conversion of Ireland by St. Patrick.
The village of Brusna and neighbourhood, as well
as Shinrone, are the property of John Lloyd, D.L.,
whose fine old family mansion and extensive demesne
at Glostcr, are not far from Brusna. The family of
Lloyd is descended from Sir Hardress "Waller, one of
whose daughters was married to Sir William Petty,
ancestor of the Marquis of Lansdown, John Lloyd,
216 LEAP CASTLE.
Esq., the grandfather, and his son the late Colonel
Hardress Lloyd, father of the present Mr. Lloyd, each
represented the King's County in several Parliaments.
The late Colonel Hardress Lloyd, whose sister was
married to the late Laurence, Earl of Eosse, is referred
to more than once in the course of this work.
It has been mentioned (p. 34) that the chief castles
in Ely 0' Carroll were Limwaddon or Lemivanane,
now Leap Castle, Birr, Clonlisk, Dunkerrin now
Franckfort, Emil, and Cullenwaine. Of these Birr
Castle has been already referred to.
The castle in modern times called Leap Castle, is
situate between Eoscrea and Kinnitty, and about five
miles south-east of Birr. This was one of the chief
strongholds of the O'Carrolls, and it is almost unneces-
sary to say it is in the ancient territory of Ely 0' Car-
roll. The old name of this interesting place was
Leim-ui-bhanam, that is, the Leap of O'Banan, and it
is also called Lemyvanane in old documents.
The Four Masters tell us that in the year, 1514, the
Earl of Kildare marched to Leim-ui-Bhanain, " but, as
seldom happened to him, he did not succeed in either
destroying or taking it, and he accordingly returned
home to collect more forces, but was seized with ill-
ness of which he died." The same writers record that
in 1516, "the castle of the town of O'Carroll, .<?.,
Leim-ui-Bhanain," was taken by the Earl of Kildare,
Gerald, the son of Gerald, after his father had failed in
taking it; and they add, that it "was doubtful if
there was in that time a castle better fortified and
LEAP CASTLE. 217
defended than that, until it was demolished on its
guards."
Again, at the year 1557, the Four Masters state
that the Lord Justice, the Earl of Sussex, having come
on an expedition into Fearcall, proceeded from thence
to Ely, and took Leim-ui-Bhanain, " and it was
the goodness pf his horse that enabled 0' Carroll to
escape from him." However, it appears that later in
the same year, " O'Carroll, i.e., William Odhar, having
got an advantage, took Caislan-an-Leime from the
English." This name signifies "the Castle of the
Leap."
We find this place called Lemyvanane in an inquisi-
tion held there the 28th of December 1568, and from
the Deed of Surrender of Ely O'Carroll by " Sir
William O'Kerroll," dated in 1576, and a copy of
which is given in the Appendix (No. 1), it appears
that then, at least, Leap Castle was the chief strong-
hold of the O'Carrolls, for in that document, Sir
William is described as of " Lemyvanan." It is also
remarkable, that amongst the thirty-five " freeholders "
who joined Sir William in that surrender, there appears
the name of William O'Banane, from some of whose
ancestors the castle most probably acquired its ancient
name. There was also an Abbot of Eoscrea named
O'Banan, who died in 1128. The Atlas by Mercator,
published in 1623, has Leap marked on it as "Lema-
vadon," and most probably it would not have been
noticed on this map at all, were it not a place of
importance at the time.
218 LEAP CASTLE.
Leap Castle is now the seat of Mr. Darby, and is
still in a state of fine preservation, scarcely to be
surpassed by any baronial residence in Ireland. It is
a great mistake, therefore, to have " the ruins " of
Leap Castle, referred to in a late very useful work by
a learned, and generally most accurate, writer. The
view from the back of the castle is exceedingly fine.
The Darby family hold the estate by a rather unusual
title. A member of that family having married a
daughter of 0' Carroll, part of the Leap estate was
given him as a marriage-portion with his wife ; and
afterwards, on the plantation of Ely 0' Carroll, in the
reign of James I., the part so granted to Darby, who
was a Protestant, was not seized . by the Crown as
forfeited. On the other hand, the greater portion of
the estate, which then still remained in the possession
of its Irish proprietor, was confiscated, nominally for
the King's use ; but having been afterwards granted
by Charles II. to John Holland, Mr. Darby of that
period purchased it from Holland. Thus, part of the
Leap property is still held by virtue of the original
Irish title, traceable to a period long antecedent to
Strongbow's invasion the remainder having been
acquired by the purchase of the comparatively modern
grant from the Crown of England.
The entire estate, as well forfeited as unforfeited,
having thus become vested, by marriage or purchase,
in the same person, and thus continuing to the pre-
sent day through the hands of his descendants, the
boundary of what is held by Irish title has long ceased
LEAP CASTLE.
to be distinguished, although the particulars of the
title are well known in the family.
The Darby family are of English extraction. Arch-
deacon Darby, one of the family, built the Divinity
School at the University of Oxford, in the reign of
Henry VII., but the family trace their pedigree to a
much earlier period. The Leap branch of the family
arc descended from Sir William Darby of Gadsby
Hall, Lincolnshire, and settled in Ireland at a very
early date. There was heretofore in Aghancon church-
yard not far from Leap Castle, and close to the walls
of the church the tomb of one of the family, having
an inscription of some historic importance, dated in
1604. A very curious silver seal, with the present
arms of the family, was found at the same place.
These arms were granted in 1588, and there is on the
seal the Knight banneret's helmet, to which it seems
the Darby family were entitled by grant. This seal
is in the possession of the Kev. C. Darby of Kells
Priory, Kilkenny, brother to Mr. Darby of Leap
Castle. In the wars of Charles L, the family appear
to have remained faithful to the King against the
Parliament, and the representative of the Leap family
at the time known as " the wild captain," and who
was son to him whose tomb has been referred to
valiantly resisted Cromwell's forces. It is said that
having been at length taken prisoner, " the wild
captain" was confined in the old gaol of Birr, but
his legs having mortified from the cruelty of his con-
finement, he was pardoned by Cromwell, and on his
220 LEAP CASTLE.
death in 1648, lie was buried in Aghancon church-yard.
The pardon by Cromwell was still at Leap Castle some
time since. When Aghancon Church was being built
in 1786, Jonathan Darby, Esq., then of Leap, contri-
buted a great part of the funds required for its
erection.
It has been already stated in the portion of this
work relating to Birr (p. 74), that Mr. Jonathan Darby
of Leap, was tried with Sir Laurence Parsons, and
convicted of high treason, at Philipstown, in March
1689, and that they were several times reprieved.
One of these reprieves, dated 22nd of May 1689, and
signed " Melford," was in the possession of the present
Mr. Darby of Leap. "When the Volunteer corps were
being raised in Ireland towards the end of the last
century, a corps called " the Leap Independents,"
was formed at Leap. This corps was associated on
the 17th of March 1780, the uniform was blue faced
blue, edged white, and it was under the command of
Colonel Jonathan Darby. The late Admiral Sir Henry
Darby who gallantly commanded the Bellerophon
ship of war at the battle of the Nile, in August 1798,
and his brother, General Darby, were uncles to the
present owner of Leap Castle. It is well known that
the gallant Admiral, then Captain Darby, on this
memorable occasion engaged with his ship, the
Bellerophon, the huge " Orient," the flagship of the
French Admiral, which carried 120 guns, and of
which the superiority of force as regarded the
Bellerophon, was more than seven to three. A full
CLONLISK CASTLE. 221
account of this memorable battle, and the part Cap-
tain Darby and his ship took in it, will be found in
most works treating on the naval affairs of the period,
and it may be more interesting to the reader to give
here the following extract from the modest account of
the transaction as entered by the gallant Captain him-
self in pencil in his diary, on board the Bellerophon,
on this eventful day. Mr. Darby of Leap Castle still
has this diary.
" Aug*- 1, 1798. a quarter before sunset the action
began, about 20 minutes before 6 we came to an
anchor and began firing abreast of * L' Orient.' ab*
9 cut the cables. about 10 the { L'Orient ' blew up,
49 killed, 148 wounded. Aug*- 2nd ab* 4 A.JI. came
to anchor again with stream cable bent to the small
Bow anchor, both the sheet and the small Bower
Cables being cut away in the action found we had
taken, burnt and destroyed 11 sail of the line and 2
frigates."
The castle heretofore commonly called Clonlisk
Castle, was also one of the principal strongholds of the
O'Carrolls, toparchs of Ely. The old name appears to
have been Clonlis, the meaning of which would be, the
field or meadow of the fort. The site of this castle
for the site is all that now remains is about two
miles from Shinrone, and Clonlisk House now occupies
almost the very spot where formerly stood the ancient
castle of Clonlisk. Even the site of Clonlisk castle is
a historic place, however, and, amongst the rest, tho
Four Masters record that in 1-541, O'Carroll, " that is
222 CLONLISK CASTLE.
Ferganainm, the son of Mulroona, was treacherously
killed, although blind, by Teige, the son of Donagh,
son of John 0' Carroll, his kinsman, and by the son of
O'Molloy, i.e., John, son of Donagh Caoch, in the
castle of Clonlis." The same writers add that although
0' Carroll was an old man, he performed such feats of
arms, and gave such assistance against his slayers, as
resounded to his fame and renown, and that twelve of
his people were slain along with him. The Fer-
ganainm 0' Carroll thus slain in 1541, at Clonlisk
Castle, was married to a daughter of the Earl of Kil-
dare, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, and is frequently
referred to in the early part of this work.
It appears from records of the proceedings, that in
consequence of information received relative to John
0' Carroll, then of Clonlisk, the Lords Justices and
Council directed their warrant, dated 30th November
1639, to Sir "William Parsons of Birr, and Captain
"William Paisley, Provost-Marshall of Munster, re-
quiring them to arrest 0' Carroll, and search his
house, &c. They proceeded to Clonlisk, but 0' Carroll
was not to be found there, being, as they were
informed, in Dublin. It seems, however, from the
examinations taken, that they then discovered muskets
and ten dozen of pikes at Clonlisk, and they also
learned that 0' Carroll had employed a smith at Ty one
in Ormond, to make pikes. It likewise appeared there
was a room in the house at Clonlisk called, " the
Chamber Arrigett," which means, the coin or money
chamber. This chamber was said to have been used
DUNKERRIN NOW FRANCKFOET, CASTLE. 223
in former times by coiners, and the entrance to it was
like the funnel of a chimney, and required a ladder to
get in. The stairs into the castle, as it then appeared,
was likewise stopped up for greater security.
Another of 0' Carroll's chief castles was at Dun-
kerrin, towards the southern part of the King's
County. This place is also in the barony of Clon-
lisk. The name Dunkerrin must be a 'very old one,
as it 'seems probable that names in which the Irish
word dun, a fort or fortress, forms part, originated
scarcely later than the first century. The writer can
only speculate as to the full meaning of the name
Dunkerrin, but it may come from dun, a fortress, and
Keeran, which represents the Irish for a mountain
ash, a tree which may have flourished there. Dun-
kerrin Castle is now the seat of James Franck Eolles-
ton, D.L., and goes by the more modern name of
Franckfort Castle, the castle and neighbourhood hav-
ing acquired the name from Thomas Francks, Esq.,
who, in January 1666, obtained a grant of the lands
of Coologe and Castleroan, with part of Clonomoghan
and Clashagad. The property passed in 1740 to
Francis Eolleston, Esq., of Tomlough, in the County
Tipperary, on his marriage. He was father of Colonel
Eolleston, who presided at the meeting of delegates
from Volunteer corps, held at Birr in September 1781,
as already mentioned, and was grandfather of the
present Mr. Eolleston. Franckfort Castle is one of
the few old baronial residences in Ireland still inhabi-
table, and it is kept in very creditable style and
224 DUNKERRIN NOW FRANCKFORT, CASTLE.
preservation. The monumental slab that marks the
resting-place of John 0' Carroll, who lived at Cullen-
waine in the latter part of the seventeenth century, is
still to be seen in the burial-ground at Dunkerrin.
It is inscribed, " Dominus Anthonius 0' Carroll, hunc
lapidem hie apponi curavit super corpus patris sui
Johannis 0' Carroll de Cullonvane qui obiit anno doni
1681, die 12 Martis. Kequiescat anima ejus in pace.
Amen." That is, "the Lord Anthony O'Carroll had
this stone placed here over the body of his father,
John O'Carroll of Cullenwaine, who died on the 12th
of March in the year of our Lord 1681. May his
soul rest in peace. Amen." It appears to have been
this Anthony 0' Carroll who was seized of Emill now
spelled Emmell in the middle of the seventeenth
century. An inquisition taken at Killigh, on the
31st of May 1664, found that he was then lately pro-
prietor of the town and lands of " Emill," in the parish
of " Dunkerryn," and that the premises had been
allotted to Captain John Eoss by the late usurped
authority, and were then in his possession. This in-
quisition contains a doleful record of nearly the
entire O'Carroll family, who were stripped of their
possessions by Cromwell's Government. Amongst
those named in the inquisition are Donat Carroll,
Anthony Carroll, Thady Carroll, John and Thady
Carroll, John and William Carroll, and John Carroll.
The ruins of the Castles of Cullenwaine and Emill, other
strongholds of the O'Carrolls, are not very far from
Dunkerrin. Mr. Joyce says that Cullenwaine means
DUNKERRIN, NOW FRANCKFORT CASTLE. 1J25
"the corner of the O'Duanes," and certainly the place
is very near the southern " corner" or extremity of
the ancient district which was afterwards included in
the King's County. There are still the remains of
many other castles, besides those mentioned, in the
ancient territory of Ely 0' Carroll, as Ballybritt, For-
tal, &c., &c. Most of them, however, are of lesser
importance, and it would be almost impossible to treat
on each in a work like this.
CHAPTEE XIII.
FEARCALL, THE o'MOLLOT's COUNTRY ; INCLUDING FRANK-
FORD AND BALLYBOY, BROGHALL, DERRYDOLNY,
KILLTUBRID, RATH, DOWRIS, &C.
FEARCALL. the territory of O'Maolmuaidh, O'Mulloy,
or O'Molloy, was part of the ancient kingdom of
Meath, and comprised the modern baronies of Eglish
and Ballyboy, with part of Ballycowen, in the King's
County. A portion of ancient Fearcall, therefore,
came close to the town of Birr, on the east side, in the
same way as does the barony of Eglish at present.
The name Fearcall is said to be derived from Feara
Ceattj which signifies, " men of the churches," and
this ancient district is said to have been so called
from the great number of religious establishments in
it. The castles, forts, and strongholds were also very
numerous in Fearcall, and it was particularly remark-
able for its extensive forest known as the " Great
Wood of Fearcall " which covered much of the eastern
portion, and of which traces yet remain.
O'Molloy, the ruler of this territory, was sometimes
FEARCALL AND o'MOLLOY. 227
designated king, at other times prince, and frequently
by the English chief, of his sept or people. This
family were of the race of the southern Hy Nialls, or
Clan Column, the ancient kings of Meath, and as
princes of Fearcall, they were very powerful, and were
frequently alluded to in the ancient annals of the
country. The rulers of Fearcall do not appear, how-
ever, to have always taken the same side between the
English and the Irish, in the various contests in which
they were engaged, and during which the people and
territory of Fearcall suffered much. Thus, at one
time we find O'Molloy doing battle against the English
invader, while on other occasions, he is seen to receive
pecuniary pensions in payment of his fealty to the
Crown of England. Again, we find this chieftain a
convert to the religion of the State, and at another
time he appears professing the ancient faith of his
country. When reduced to subjection to English rule,
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the princes of Fear-
call were appointed royal standard-bearers of Leinster.
This office they continued tp hold for a considerable
time, having as arms in right of it, a knight in armour
mounted on a charger, and bearing in his hand the
British standard, with the arms of O'Molloy on his
shield. In the account of Lord Deputy Eussell's
progress in Ulster in 1595, Cox says that O'Molloy
of the King's County, carried the English standard on
one day, and O'Hanlon of Armagh, bore it on the
next.
O'Molloy, prince of Fearcall, is thus alluded to by
228 FEARCALL AND 3 MOLLOY.
O'Dugan, as one of the princes of ancient Meath, in
the twelfth century :
" The prince of Fearcall of the ancient swords
Is O'Molloy of the free-born name ;
Full power was granted to him,
And he held his own country uncontrolled."
It has been stated that the O'Molloys are frequently
mentioned in the annals of the country at an early
date. Let us give a few examples : Thus, the Four
Masters tell us that in 1175, Giolla Coluim O'Maol-
muaidh (O'Molloy), lord of " Ferkale," was treacher-
ously slain by Koderick, son of Conor MacCoghlan.
Again, we learn that in 1382, Fergal Eoe, the son of
MacGeoghegan, chief of Kinel Fiacha, was treacher-
ously slain by the people of Fearcall, and that Fergal
O'Mulloy, and the son of Theobald, "were the persons
who attacked him, and Myler Maintin was he who
struck him." Peregrine O'Molloy, " lord of Fearcall,"
died in 1388 ; Hugh O'Molloy, also " lord of Fearcall,"
died in 1400 ; and in the year 1410, Torlogh and
Teige, " the sons of O'Molloy," were slain by the
people of Glenmalire. The Four Masters also record
that in 1454, a dispute for the chieftaincy arose be-
tween two of the O'Molloys, the result being that
Theobald O'Molloy, and the grandson of Cosnavach
O'Molloy, were each appointed chiefs "in opposition
to each other." It appears, however, that this state
of things did not last very long, for we further learn,
that in 1461, " Theobald O'Molloy, lord of the half
of Fearcall, was killed by O'Molloy of the "Wood." In
FEARCALL AND O'MOLLOY. 229
1533, the lord of Fear call was treacherously slain on
the plain of Lynally by his brother Peregrine, and his
nephew Art, and his brother Cahir " was nominated
the O'Molloy." Donald, the son of Theobald O'Molloy,
was slain in the year 1582, and "his death was the
less lamented on account of his having endeavoured to
supplant and expel his father, in order that he might
himself assume his place." In 1585, Conall O'Molloy,
lord of Fercall attended Queen Elizabeth's Parliament
in Dublin ; and on his death, in 1599, his son Calvach
assumed his place "by the power of the Queen."
There were, however, " gentlemen of his lineage who
objected to and opposed him, according to the law of
the Irish concerning that title."
Although at times in favour with the English,
O'Molloy also appears to have occasionally joined his
Irish neighbours in opposing them. Thus, during the
Irish wars of Queen Elizabeth, O'Molloy of Fearcall
at least once united with the 0' Conors, O'Dunnes,
and MacCoghlans in raising forces against the
Queen. As Ireland was continually devastated by
these wars for nearly thirty years, up to the year
1602, there was ample time and opportunity for those
inclined, to take different sides in the contest. History
shows, however, that whichever side their ruler for
the time espoused, and whether they were invaded by
the English Lord Deputy, as in 1537 (p. 26), and at
other times, including the year 1580 (p. 32), or by the
Irish, like Hugh O'Neill, in the year 1600 (p. 160),
the people of Fearcall suffered severely during the
230 FRANKFORD, FORMERLY KILCORMTTCK.
troubles of their country. It has been likewise seen
from the portion of this work relating to Birr, that
notwithstanding what they had suffered, the O'Molloys
of Fearcall continued up to a comparatively late
period, to resist the settlement at Birr of the Parsons
family and their supporters.
Besides Drumcullen (p. 154), and Killyon (p. 178),
which, as already stated, were in Fearcall, there were
several other celebrated abbeys and monasteries in that
ancient district, including Eglish, and Eathlibthen,
now called Ealyon. There was also a castle at Eglish,
which is called Caislean-na-Hegailse by the Four
Masters, at the year 1532 (p. 25). Ealyon Abbey is
said to have been founded by St. Illand about the year
540, and, according to Mr. Archdall, a statue of the
Saint was to be seen there in his time.
The chief burial place of the O'Molloys, however,
appears to have been at Kilcormuck, now the town
called Frankford, nearly in the centre of ancient Fear-
call, and about nine miles from Birr. Kilcormuck
was probably a corruption of Kilcormack, that is, Cor-
mack's church. It is also spelled in old documents,
" Killkarmick " and " Killharmick." The modern
name Frankford is derived, as well from the town
having been founded by Francis Magawley, as here-
after mentioned, as from its vicinity to the ford here
over the " Silver river." The remains of the ancient
monastery of Kilcormuck, stood about the spot now
occupied by the very fine Eoman Catholic Church
erected at Frankford in late years. It is said the ruins
FRANKFORD, FORMERLY KILCORMUCK. 231
of the monastery were pulled down many years ago,
when the place of worship which preceded the present
one was being built, and that a great quantity of human
bones were then exhumed here, and again interred.
The following information regarding Kilcormuck
has been collected by Mr. Archdall : A monastery
was founded at Kilcormuck for Carmelites, or White
Friars, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, by
Odo, the son of Nellan O'Molloy, head of his sept.
Eory O'Molloy, of the founder's family, died on
Whitsunday in 1431 ; and in 1454, Odo, the founder,
died on the feast of St. Remigius, and was interred in
this abbey before the high altar. In 1468, the prior,
Edward Brakan, died ; and on the vigil of the nativity
of the Blessed Virgin, in 1478, Nellan, the son of
Coucoghna O'Molloy, died, and he also was interred
before the high altar. On the 5th of May 1479, died
Charles O'Molloy, the son of Sina, " a brave man, and
blessed with every human perfection." He was interred
here at the upper end of the choir, on the north side.
In 1525, Charles O'Molloy and his followers forcibly
drew Hugh and Constantino O'Molloy out of this
church, and inhumanly put them to death "before the
gate of the convent." Nicholas Brakan, " lately prior
here," died in the year 1536 ; Charles O'Molloy, the
head of his sept, was interred here in 1542 ; and in
1567, Arthur O'Molloy, also head of his sept, died.
The Four Masters tell us, that " Saighir Chiarain
and Killcormac were burned by the English and
O'Carroll." in the vear 1548.
232 FRANKFORD, FORMERLY KILCORMUCK.
This abbey and its possessions, were, on the
suppression, granted to Eobert Leicester, and it
appears by an inquisition postmortem taken at Philips 1
town, in May 1662, " Eobert Lester, alias Leicester,"
was found to have been seized at the time of his death
of the entire late priory, monastery, &c., of " Kilhar-
mick, alias Killkarmick," with the town and lands of
Kilharmick, and several other denominations, " parcell
Of the possessions of the aforesaid monastery ; and
tithes, as well great as small, within the aforesaid
premises." On the attainder of Thomas " Leister,"
another of the family, the lands of " Kilcormuck,"
with other lands, were subsequently sold in 1703,
subject to a quit-rent, to the Hollow Sword-Blade
Company for 3,705, and the rectory of Kilcormuck
was on the same attainder conveyed by the trustees at
Chicester House, to trustees for the endowment of
poor livings.
It appears that notwithstanding this, a considerable
portion of the Leicester property in the neighbour-
hood, including Kilcormack, passed by the marriage
of a lady of that family to one of the Magawley
family, ancestor of the late Count Magawley Cerati
di Calrie. It is unnecessary to say that Francis
Magawley, already mentioned, and from whom Frank-
fort derives its name, was one of the family. The
Magawleys were formerly lords of an ancient Irish
territory called Calrie, Calry, or by a Latin version,
Calrigia, on the borders of the King's County and
"Westmeath, and partly in each county. O'Dugan
BALLYBOY. 233
mentions Magawley, MacAuley, or MacAmhalgaidh,
thus :
" The fair MacAuley rides over
The entire of the ports of Calrie."
The " ports " here mentioned were on the river
Shannon, to which the territory of Calry extended.
The title " Count," borne by the head of the family in
modern times, was acquired for services in the
Austrian army ; the addition of " Cerati," was taken
in consequence of the late Count's mother having been
the representative of a noble Italian of that name, who
was President of the University of Parma ; while " di
Calrie " means, of Calrie, the ancient Irish district of
the Magawleys. There is frequent mention of this
ancient family in the early records of the country.
The names of the principal inhabitants and traders
of Frankford, in the year 1823, will be found (No. 16)
in the Appendix.
The very old village of Ballyboy is about a mile east
from Frankford, and is also in the ancient Fearcall.
Ballyboy is likewise on the " Silver river," which
runs from thence to Frankford. The old orthography
for the name of this place is Baile-atha-buidhe, that is,
the town of the yellow ford. It is so named by the
Four Masters at the year 1383, where they record that
Loundres died there that year. Ballyboy must have
been a place of considerable trade and importance
more than 200 years ago, for there were then brass
tokens struck in it of the same kind as those already
described (p. 70), as having been issued at Birr
234 BROGHALL CASTLE.
about the same time. One of these tokens has on it,
" Eob. Hutchinson. of. Ballyboy. March" (for Mar-
chant), and was struck in 1668 ; and another struck
about the same time has "Tho. Maire. of. Ballyboy
Tanner." In former times, before railways, or even
well appointed coaches, or two-horse cars, were known
in Ireland, to Ballyboy appears to have been the first
day's journey on the way from Birr to Dublin. For
instance, we have seen (p. 80) that when Sir Laurence
Parsons was being conveyed to Dublin in custody of
the Sheriif, on the 2nd of April 1690, they proceeded
on the first day, only as far as Ballyboy. It was like-
wise so, at least occasionally, in much later times, for
there yet remains the leathern saddle-bags which
heretofore hung before the writer's father-in-law who
died so late as 1810 when making his accustomed
journey from Birr to Dublin on horseback ; Ballyboy,
or the " Blue Ball," between Frankford and Tulla-
more, being the first day's journey. It is said that a
wretched room still exists in Ballyboy, in which King
William III. slept a night.
Amongst the castles and strongholds in the ancient
Fearcall, we find not far from Frankford, the Castle of
Broghall, variously called in former times Broghill,
Broghaly, and Broghalloe. This castle stands close to,
and on the northern side of, the silver river, and it appears
to have been for a considerable time the chief resi-
dence of O'Molloy, prince of Fearcall. When in 1537
the Lord Deputy made an incursion into Fearcall
against the O'Molloys, he surprised the Castle of
BROGHALL CASTLE. 235
"Broghill," which then at least, as well as in 1587,
was the chief seat of O'Molloy. It is stated in the
preface to O'Molloy's Irish Grammar, that notwith-
standing the scarcity and dearness of provisions, the
hospitality kept up at Broghill by the O'Molloy, about
the close of the sixteenth century, was so profuse, that
on one occasion he entertained 960 men in the house
at Christmas time. From an inquisition taken at
Philipstown, in March 1626, it appears that one
Edward Birmingham resided in Broghill in February
1610 ; and by a Grant, dated in July 1667, it also
appears that the lands of Broghalloe, containing 758
acres 3 roods 26 perches, with other denominations, were
granted at the nominal quit-rent of 9, 9s. 8|d., to Sir
William Petty, Knight ancestor to the Marquis of
Lansdown.
The Topographical and Historical Map of Ireland,
showing the possessions of Irish princes, lords, and
chiefs, as appended to the excellent translation of the
Annals of the Four Masters, by the learned and much
respected Owen Connellan, places Fitzsimon at Brog-
hill, from the eleventh to the seventeenth century.
This, however, is one of the very few errors appearing
in this map, for the late Sir Nicholas Fitzsimon was
only tenant to the castle and lands of Broghill, under
the then Marquis of Lansdown.
In 1632, Daniel " Molloye " occupied the Castle of
Derealneye, of which he was the proprietor. The
inquisition taken on his death, in the month of March
that year, shows this, and states, that " Cosny
236 RATH OR THOMASTOWN.
Muloye " was his son and heir. This place is about
a mile from Frankford on the way to Tullamore, and
is now called Derrydolney. About 1846, while
alterations were being made in the old dwelling-house
of Derrydolney, which is not far from the castle, a
stone bearing the armorial ensigns of the family of
O'Molloy, was found built up in the walls. The
following inscription was on it: "This house was
erected by Philip Molloy and Mary Molloy his wife,
in the year of our Lord God 1684, in the three and
thirteeth years of Charles II., by the Grace of God
King of England and Scotland, and France and
Ireland, Defender of the Faith."
Kiltubrid Castle was also a stronghold of the
O'Molloy. It stood on an island adjoining the lands
of Arm amor e, in the Parish of Drumcullen, and not
very far from the ruins of Drumcullen (p. 154). The
tribe of Cullen or Cullin, which was of blood with and
subject to O'Molloy, lived about this place and pro-
bably gave name to the parish. The name Kiltubrid
signifies the church of the well, but we find it marked
by the name " Annagh "on a map of the King's
County, published between 1543 and 1602. The
people of the neighbourhood generally call it " the
Island of Kiltubrid," and the island itself was esti-
mated to contain about three acres. It is not certain
which of the O'Molloy's owned this place, but pro-
bably it was the same person that owned Eathmackil-
duffe, now Thomastown, the property of Francis
Yalentine Bennett, D.L. Cole M'Art O'Molloy
RATH OR THOMASTOWN. 237
resided at Eathmackilduffe in 1612, and then claimed
a carucate of land in Garrysallagh, i.e., " dirty garden,"
near Thomastown demense. The village at Thomas-
town is also called " Rath," which seems to be used
as an abbreviation for Eathmackilduffe, or, as it is
otherwise written, Rathmacgiladuffe, i.e., the Fort of
MacKilduff or MacGilduff. It is interesting to find
a large and remarkable fort still in the neighbourhood.
A portion of the lands of Rathmackilduffe, with
Kiltubrid, Island, Rathmore, &c., were by letters
patent, dated 15th of August in the 18th year of
Charles II., granted to Edward Smith. How that
portion of these lands came into the hands of the
Crown is not clear. It is probable, however, that it
happened in a manner similar to that by which the
remainder of Rathmackilduffe subsequently found its
way into the royal keeping, which was as follows :
An inquisition was held at Philipstown on the 5th of
April 1676, by which it was found that Terence
Molloy, on the 22nd of October 1641, was seized of
eighty acres and one perch in Rathmackilduff, Garry-
sallagh, Ballyvoneen, and Tinnecross, in the territory
of Eglish (besides 445 acres 2 roods 25 perches in the
same townlands, formerly granted by the King to
Edward Smith), and that he (Molloy) continued seized
from that time until th.6 then late rebellion; by
reason whereof, the premises were seized and seques-
tered into the King's hands. Here we have an
instance of confiscation, long deferred but sure, the
inquiry which was said to entitle the Crown, not
238 DOWRIS CASTLE.
having been held until thirty-eight years after the
alleged treason had been committed.
In November 1851, there was found at "Muddy
Lough," near Kiltubrid Castle, a very uncommon
gold coloured vessel, about nine inches wide, by three
and a half inches deep. At the same time was found
there a very old shaped glass bottle, having a curious
stamp on the side.
Rathmackilduffe and the adjoining lands acquired
the English name Thomastown, from Thomas Bennett,
Esq.,' ancestor of the present Mr. Bennett, by whom
the property was purchased. The Bennett family have
greatly improved the neighbourhood, and there are
few more neat, or, for the size, more complete villages
than Thomastown, with its nice cottages, chapel,
school-house, police barracks, and petty sessions court.
In 1607, Shane Oge M'Teige O'Molloy resided at
the Castle of Dowris, or, as it was afterwards called,
Le Porte, about five miles north-east from Birr, and
near the more modern Whigsborough, for a long time
the residence of a branch of the respectable family of
Drought. The old name Dowris, also written in old
documents Dowross, Durus, Durys, Doores, and
Dowfishe, means a gloomy wood, and includes several
subdenominations in the neighbourhood. The Castle
of Dowris was built on a small island in a lake called
in modern times Lough Cowr or Cowra, but formerly
known as Loughcurry and Loughcurrae. This island
is called Port, or Le Port, in the Norman French
fashion, derived from the Irish word port, a fort or
DOWRIS CASTLE. 239
garrison, in consequence of its having been one of the
strongholds of the Princes of Fearcall. Le Porte
Castle was advantageously situated on the frontier of
MacCoghlan of Dealbna Eathra, between whom and
the O'Molloys diiferences occasionally existed, as for
instance, when in 1175, O'Molloy, Lord of "Fer-
kale " was treacherously slain by the son of M'Coghlan
as already mentioned (p. 228).
Dowris is described in an inquisition post mortem,
taken at Geashill, in October 1612, on the death of
Gerald, Earl of Kildare, as the castle, town, and lands
of " Durus." From this inquisition it appears that in
July 1575, the Earl demised these premises by the
name of " Dowrishe," to Sir Bernard Fitzpatrick, and
that in May 1607 the Earl also demised the castle and
lands of Durus, Portlough (the " fort of the lough "),
and other lands to Shane Oge M'Teige O'Molloy,
therein described as "then of Durus," and to Ana-
bella Ny Horan of the " said Porte." From this it
would appear that this Shane Oge M'Teige O'Molloy
and Anabella then occupied that castle, once the patri-
mony of Shane Oge's sept ; but that such occupation l
by him was not as owner in fee, but as tenant to the ( ^ fit
Earl of Kildare. The same inquisition also shows that
the Earl and EichajrdJCalbot, by Indenture of May
1609, gave the castle, town, and hamlet of Dowres,
and Le Porte, alias Inchloughcurry (the " island in r
Loughcurry " ), to one Neill Moore and said Ana-
bella Ny Horan, who had become the wife of said
Moore. Dowris was subsequently in the hands of the
240 THE DOWELS BEONZES.
Parsons family ; for by inquisition taken at Birr, in
September 1634, Sir Laurence Parsons, Knight, was
found by the Court to have been seized of the towns
and lands of "Dooras," and to have held them of the
King in free and common socage.
Some very remarkable events which created much
interest amongst learned societies, have taken place in
the neighbourhood of Downs within a comparatively
recent period, and show that this must have been a
celebrated place even in very remote times. At Dowris,
between Whigsborough House and Lough Cowra,
there is a place called Derreens, that is, the "little
oak groves," where about the year 1825 two men-
one being Edward Kennedy, sportsman to Mr. Drought,
then of Whigsborough, when trenching potatoes, dis-
covered in the earth several large bronze vessels, and
with them at least a horse-load of beautiful gold
coloured bronze antiquities were dug up. In fact, for
quantity and variety, as well as for the perfect state
of preservation and beautiful gold colour of the
antiquities then brought to light, this was the most
important discovery of the kind made in Ireland in
modern times.
Amongst the articles then exhumed were the several
bronze vessels already mentioned, most of them com-
posed of thin sheets of bronze, not thicker than strong
paper. Bronze vessels were formerly esteemed of
such great value in Ireland as to be considered worthy
of being given and accepted, as a fit tribute and gift,
to and by Irish kings and princes. Thus we find that
THE DOWRIS BRONZES. 241
Cathaoir-Mor bequeathed to Magh-Corb fifty copper
cauldrons, with other articles, some made of gold, and
all reckoned of great value. We also read in the
Book of Rights, that a cauldron was to be given as
tribute to the Kings of Cashel by the King of Team-
hair Luachra. The golden colour of the Dowris
vessels in which rich colour, as the late learned Dr.
Petrie well observed, the King's County bronzes were
unrivalled made them suitable presents to and from
royalty ; and the high value of the material in the
estimation of the maker, is shown by the thinness of
the sheets of which these vessels were composed.
With these large vessels were found a great many
gold coloured bronze skeynes, but unfortunately the
finders left scarcely any of them unbroken. There
were likewise a number of gold coloured bronze arrow-
heads, and gouges, with ornaments for the pommels of
skeynes. Many gold coloured horns or trumpets,
some large, and all curious and interesting, were
found at the same time ; as were numerous gold
coloured pear and spherical-shaped crotals or bells,
which in themselves were a subject for most interest-
ing study and inquiry.
There were then also discovered a variety of celts
of different sizes, as likewise hatchets, and spear-heads
of various kinds, from the large war-spear to the
small one used for hunting with. All these had the
same rich gold tint. Some of the articles then found
were rough from the casting and unfinished, and there
were even several lumps of the waste gold coloured
Q
242 DISCOVERY AT LE PORTE IN 1847.
metal which remained after the operation of casting ;
as likewise a number of small and large pieces of rub-
stone having convex, concave, and flat surfaces, to suit
the form of the various articles to be polished and
finished up with them. In fine, the great quantity of
things found, their Variety, and their being in an
unfinished as well as in a finished state the amor-
? "" fj phous lumps of spare metal, and the rub-stones, all
. *l . \^ tend to the conclusion that in the gloomy woods from
it* I which Dowris took its name, and the remains of which
are still found beneath the surface, there was in past
ages a famous manufactory of bronze utensils and
weapons. If this be so, we are forced from the nature
of the articles found, as well as from the material used,
to the further conclusion that this manufactory must
have existed here at least 2,000 years ago.
The reader will find in the Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy, two essays on these Dowris Bronzes,
read before that learned body in November 1848, and
December 1849, from which much information on this
interesting subject may be obtained by those who wish
for it. An account by the able chemist, Dr. Donovan,
of his analysis of some of those bronzes was also read
before the Academy in January 1850.
Besides these bronze antiquities found at Dowris on
this occasion, there was a large quantity of miscella-
neous, comprising some very curious articles, found in
July and August 1847, at Le Porte Castle, in the
same neighbourhood. Amongst these were several
curious bronze pins or fibula, as likewise a bronze
DISCOVERY AT LE PORTE IN 1847. 243
surgical instrument combining a probe with a tenacu-
lum. Portions of brass and iron helmets, parts of gun
and pistol barrels, large iron cannon shot, one
weighing 20 lb., portions of match and flint gun
locks, leaden pellets, curious horse trappings both
iron and brass, with bolts for quarrels or cross bows,
and polishing stones, were amongst the numerous
military articles then found. There were then also
found at Le Porte a silver sixpenny bit and some
copper coin of Queen Elizabeth, a French coin of
Louis XIII., and several base coin of James II. ; with
numerous iron keys, knives, scissors, spoons, and
smoking pipes, and a quantity of broken delph and
glass bottles, all of old pattern and fashion. There
were then likewise discovered portions of the horns of
the ancient Irish red deer. These mentioned are only
a few of the curious articles then discovered at Le
Porte, the variety and number of which show that
there must have been a considerable garrison kept
there from very early times; and also that the
immediate vicinity was the scene of many a sanguinary
contest, from the time when bronze served the place
of steel, down to the flight of James II. from Ireland.
In the autumn of 1828, a very remarkable event
occurred at Cloneen, i.e., the little meadow, near
Dowris. A fragment of a meteoric stone containing
iron, mkel, and copper, in a metallic state, then fell
at this place and killed two boys named John and
Patrick Horan, who were making a stack of oats. One
of them was on the stack, and the other pitching up
244 THE PLAIN OF MOYLENA.
the sheaves, when they were both killed instantaneously
and their bodies burned black, their clothes, as well as
the stack of oats, being totally consumed. The
Horans' sister who was present, was also knocked
down and burned in the side, but was not much
injured. Up to the hour this happened the day had
been fine ; no thunder was heard, but very heavy rain
fell afterwards. A portion of the meteoric stone then
found at Cloneen is now in the museum of the Eoyal
Dublin Society.
It has been seen (p. 25), that in 1532 the Earl of
Kildare took Caislean-na-Hegailse and the castle of
Ballindooney, that is, the castles of Eglish and of
Ballindown. Both these places are in Fearcall;
Eglish, where are also the remains of an ancient abbey,
being in the neighbourhood of Dowris, while Ballin-
down is nearer to Birr. The name Ballindown is said
by Dr. O'Donovan to mean the " town of the Dun, or
earthen fort." Amongst the volunteer corps raised in
the King's County, we find (p. 91), the " Eglish
Eangers" associated the 29th of August 17Y9, the
uniform being scarlet, faced black, with silver epaulets.
Major, Thomas Berry; Captain, John Drought; and
Lieutenant, T. C. Clarke.
The celebrated heath or plain of Moylena, according
to OTlaherty and other writers, was in the portion of
ancient Fearcall now comprised in the Barony of
Eglish. On this plain was fought in the year 192,
the battle of Moylena called Cath Muighelena by
the Irish bards and historians where the monarch,
CLONBELLA SPA. 245
Con of the Hundred Battles, overcame Eogan More,
King of Munster, and his Spanish auxiliaries, many
thousands being slain on both sides. Another great
battle was fought at Moylena in 907, in which the
Munster forces, under Cormac MacCullenan, Arch-
bishop of Cashel and King of Munster, defeated with
great slaughter, the army of Flann Sionna, monarch of
Ireland.
There are several gentlemen of the name, who claim
to be descended from the ancient Irish sept of
O'Molloy of Fearcall. According to the learned Dr.
O'Donovan, however, the late Daniel Molloy, J.P., of
Clonbella, near Birr, was chief representative of
O'Molloy, Prince of Fearcall. Near the entrance gate
of Clonbella which is on the road from Birr to
Thomastown, and in ancient Fearcall there is a
remarkable chalybeate spring covered with a stone
canopy, and kept in nice order. In September 1825,
the water of this spa was analysed by a noble and
well-informed amateur chemist, the late Eight Hon.
William, Earl of Eosse, then Lord Oxmantown. His
Lordship having afterwards attained a very high rank
amongst eminent scientific and literary men, it may
be interesting to give in his own words the result of
this analysis of the water of the Clonbella Spa, made
by him when a young man, and contained in a letter
from him at the time to the humble individual who
writes this. The following is a copy :
246 CLONBELLA SPA.
" Friday Evening.
" MY DEAR SIE,
"Enclosed I send you the analysis of the Olonbella
water : it is, I believe, tolerably exact ; but as my balance can-
not be depended upon beyond the tenth part of a grain, owing
to its not having been taken the best care of, I have only given
the first decimals. The water is acidulous and chalybeate, but
was probably more concentrated than usual, as the summer had
been peculiarly dry. I am, my dear Sir, sincerely yours,
" T. L. COOKE, Esq. " OXMANTOWN.
" One hundred cubic inches of the water contains of carbonic
acid 17-4 cubic inches, carbotate of iron 4-5 grains, sulphate of
lime 3-6 grains, muriate of soda 1'4 grains.
" September 1825. The summer peculiarly dry."
CHAPTEE XIV.
THE O'CONORS FAILGE, AND OFFALEY ; INCLUDING MONAS-
TERORIS, KILLEIGH, KILLOUGHY, ETC. THE TOWNS
OF PHILIPSTOWN AND TTJLLAMORE. THE o'DtJNNS
OR O'DUINNS, CHIEFS OF HY REGAN.
To the east of Fearcall lay the ancient territory of
Hy Failgc, or Offaley, which comprised the present
baronies of Warrenstown and Coolestown, with part
of Geashill and Lower Philipstown, in the King's
County ; the baronies of east and west Offaley in
Kildare, and Portnehinch and Tinnehinch in the
Queen's County. The 0' Conors Failge, or Faily, the
kings or princes of Offaley, were called Failge to dis-
tinguish them from other families of 0' Conor, or
O'Conchobhuir, because they were descended from
Eossa Failge, the son of Cahir More, monarch of Ire-
land in the end of the second century. After the
English invasion, the Fitzgeralds of Kildare appear to
have taken from 0' Conor Failge and the other pos-
sessors, the portion of the original Hy Failge com-
prised in the present County of Kildare ; and there
were thus two " Offalys " formed out of Hy Failge ;
that is, the " English Offaly " in the County Kildare,
248 THE O'CONDRS FAILGE AND OFFALEY.
giving the title .of Baron to a branch of the noble
family of Fitzgerald ; and the "Irish Offaly " in the
King's and Queen's Counties, giving the title of King
of Offaly to 0' Conor Failge, the chief representative
of Eossa Failge.
It would exceed the limits intended for this work,
to give anything like a full account of ancient Offaley
and the 0' Conors Failge; but a few remarks concerning
this renoundedjgept and their territory, a great part
of which is included in the present King's County, will
not be out of place.
O'Dugan and O'Heerin thus allude to O'Conchob-
huir, Prince of Hy Failge or Offaley :
" Let us westward proceed" to Offaley,
To which brave heroes make submission,
Of their laws I make mention,
Of their convention I make remembrance."
" The Lord of Offaley, a land of mirth,
Not unknown to the poets,
Is 0' Conor the mainstay of the fair plain,
Who rules at the green mound of Cruachan."
Cruachan was the old name of Croghan, a very
handsome hill within a few miles of Philipstown, in
the King's County. The 0' Conors Failge were very
powerful and warlike chiefs, and carried on various
contests for nearly 300 years with the English, whom
they often defeated. The chief fortress of the
0' Conors was at Dangan, or Dingen, now Philips-
town, and they appear to have preserved a large por-
tion of their possessions up to the time of Philip and
THE SHERIFF AND CLONAMUCKOGE. 249
Mary, after which O'Diomosaigh, or O'Derapsey, Lord
of Clanmaliere, became the chief family of the race,
and remained in possession of a great part of Offaley
until the revolution in 1688.
The Four Masters tell us that 0' Conor Failge,
with twenty-nine of his chiefs, were deceitfully
slain in 1305, by Sir Pierce Bermingham, in his
own castle ; and that, in 1321, " the sons of the
King of Offaley " received a defeat from Andrew
Bermingham and the English of Meath. Berming-
ham' s castle here alluded to, was situate at Carbery,
in the County of Kildare. In 1406, Murrogh
0' Conor, " Lord of Offaley," gave a great defeat to
the English, both parties having marched "to the
upper part of Geashill." (See as to Geashill hereafter.)
The Four Masters end a curious account of this trans-
action thus : " It was on this expedition that the
chief holy relic of Connaught, called Buocach Phatraig
(the mitre of St. Patrick), which was kept at Elphin,
was taken from the English."
The Lord of Offaley in these days does not appear
to have had much respect for the ministerial officers
of the law ; for in 1411, according to the Four Masters,
" the Sheriff of Meath was taken prisoner by 0' Conor
Faily, and he exacted a great ransom for his libera-
tion." The reader will pardon a slight digression
here. The taking a sheriff prisoner would, no doubt,
cause admiration even now ; but instead of gaining a
ransom, the exploit might finally turn out to be very
like the " catching of a Tartar." Yet it is well-known
250 THE SHERIFF AND CLONAMUCKOGE.
that sheriffs and their proceedings were not always
treated in Ireland in the same quiet way as at present.
To show this, it is not necessary to refer to the works
of Lever, for the writer of these pages has still a letter
written to his father, Eichard Cooke, so late as 1784,
by a gentleman who then kept his coach and four, and
who at the time of his death was a Deputy-Lieutenant
and Justice of the Peace for the County Tipperary.
His daughter was married to a British Privy Council-
lor a celebrated M.P,, and holder of an important
office in the diplomatic department. It appears that
when this letter was written, the Sheriff of Tipperary
had in his hands some legal process directing him to
take possession of the place referred to, which is near
Thurles, in the County Tipperary. This letter is as
follows :
" DEAB KICHABD, I shall be much obliged to you to send
as many men as you possibly can to-morrow, to defend the pos-
session of Clonamuckoge. I shall meet them as early as I can
on the lands of Brownstown, which is joining Clonamuckoge. I
write also to Rick Burk, and hope you will excuse this trouble.
I assure you I expect it will be in my power to return the com-
pliment. I am, with love to my aunt and Mary, dear Eichard,
your affectionate kinsman, J. L.
" STJKDAY, March 23rd, 1784."
Such were the habits and dispositions of the higher
classes, even at the comparatively late period when
this letter was written. The statute making resistance
to legal process a transportable offence was not passed
at that time, but the resistance then given the Sheriff
THE O'CONOES FAILGE AND OFFA.LEY. 251
at Clonamuckoge caused its enactment, for it was only
after several ineffectual attacks by the Sheriff, with
military and innumerable bailiffs, that the house of
Clonamuckoge was at length taken, by battering it
from a distance with two pieces of artillery.
To return to O'Conor Faily. We find that in 1421,
Murrogh O'Conor, the Lord of Offaley, who had
taken the Sheriff, and who, according to the Four
Masters, "had defeated the English and Irish who
opposed him in many battles," died at his own fortress
after having " gained the victory over the world and
the devil," and was interred in the monastery of
Killachaidh (now Killoughy). The same year Murtagh
O'Conor defeated MacGilpatrick and the English at
the monastery of Leix, and having been taken ill of a
severe disease, he retired to the Friary of Killoughy
and took the monastic habit. He appointed his kins-
man, Dermot O'Conor, to succeed him, and " died in
a month after he became a friar." (See as to Killoughy
further on.)
The exploit of Murrogh O'Conor, in taking the
Sheriff of Meath in 1411, was nothing, however, to
what was done by another of the family soon after-
wards; for the Four Masters record that in 1439
" the King of England's Viceroy arrived in Ireland,
and was taken prisoner by Cahir, the son of O'Conor.
Faily, and after he had remained some time in con-
finement, he was ransomed by the English in Dublin,
who delivered the son of Plunket in his stead to
Cahir." Much of the following information regarding
252 THE 0' CONGES FAILGE AND OFFALEY.
O'Conor Faily is also taken from the same writers.
In 1451, Margaret, daughter of Teige O'Carroll, and
wife of O'Conor Faily, died. She was " the best
woman of her time in Ireland, for it was she who
gave two general entertainments of hospitality in the
one year to the poor." On the following day her son,
Felim O'Conor, heir to the lordship, died, after being
in a consumptive disease for a long time. In 1461,
O'Conor Faily marched into Meath with upwards of
a thousand horsemen, to burn and waste Meath, and
finally " he received great presents from the English
for granting them peace, as was always customary
with those who held his place." The English of
Meath and Leinster marched into Offaley in 1466, but
were defeated by O'Conor Faily; and Thomas Fitz-
gerald, Earl of Desmond, was taken prisoner. In
1493, Fionnguala, daughter of Calvagh O'Conor
Faily, died after surviving two husbands and main-
taining her widowhood for forty-nine years "in a
chaste, honourable, pious, and devout manner ; " and
the same year, " O'Conor Faily, that is Cahir, the son
of Con, son of Calvagh, was defeated by MacGeoghe-
gan ; " and about the same time, Torlogh O'Conor and
Cathal O'Conor were hanged by the same Cahir
O'Conor Faily. This Cahir O'Conor who is alluded
to as "a generous entertainer of learned men, and a
distinguished military leader among the English and
Irish," was slain in 1511, near Monasteroris, by a
party of his own people.
The ruins of the Abbey of Monasteroris are near
THE O'CONORS FAILGE AND OFFALEY. 253
Edendery, in the King's County. It was founded in
1325, by Sir John do Bermingham ; and Nicholas
Herbert, who died in 1581, had a grant of it. This
place was called Totmoy in early times, but the abbey
was named "Monaster Feoris," meaning Berming-
ham's monaster Bermingharn being called in Irish
"Mac Feorais" Monasteroris was once a place of
strength, and in 1521 held out a considerable time
against the Earl of Surrey, then Lord Lieutenant, but
he afterwards took and kept possession of it.
The Four Masters informs us that in 1536, in the
reign of Henry VIII., "O'Conor Faily, that is
Bryan, the son of Cahir, was expelled from his terri-
tory, and after many of his people had been slain, all
his castles were taken and demolished by the Saxon
Lord Justice, that is Lord Leonard (Lord Leonard
Gray), and it was through the conspiracy and at the
instigation of 0' Conor's own brother, Cathal Koe,
these acts were perpetrated." The same writers state
that O'Conor and O'Moore went to England in 1548,
with "the Lieutenant," and the king gave their
estates, Leix and Offaley, to the Lieutenant and his
kinsmen (the Bellinghams), who built " two large
courts " at Maryboro' and at Philipstown. They then
began " to let these lands for rent, as if they had been
their own rightful inheritance," after having expelled
their hereditary heirs, O'Conor and O'Moore, with
their families and kindred.
This Bryan O'Conor married Lady Mary Fitz-
gerald, daughter of the Earl of Kildare, and became
254 THE O'CONORS FAILGE AND OFFALEY.
involved in the Geraldine rising. It was in conse-
quence of Lady Mary O'Connor having saved the
young Earl in Offaley, that the family of Kildare rose
again, the family having been destroyed unless this
one child.
In the Hibernia Anglicana, Cox gives an interesting
account of a dispute between two chiefs of the
0' Conors of Offaley, which was decided at the castle
of Dublin in September 1583, in a trial by single
combat or wager of battle, before Sir Henry Wallop,
and Adam Loftus Archbishop of Dublin, the Lords
Justices. The plaint, or indictment, as it may be now
called in legal phraseology, on the part of Conor Mac-
Cormac 0' Conor, accused Teige MacGillpatrickO' Conor
before the Lords Justices and Council, of killing his
men, they being under protection. Teige replied that
after the protection they had confederated with a
rebel, and were therefore rebels themselves, and
which accusation he offered to justify by combat; and
Conor accepted the challenge. The weapons, being
sword and target, were chosen by defendant ; the
next day was appointed for the trial, and patrons
were assigned to introduce them into the lists. The
day being come, and the court sitting, the litigants,
or rather combatants, were also seated on two stools,
one at each end of the inner court of the Castle of
Dublin. Most of the military officers were present,
and the pleadings having been read, the combatants
were stripped to their shirts, and searched by Secretary
Eenton, and each took an oath that his quarrel was
THE O'CONORS FAILGE AND OFFALEY. 255
true, and that he would justify it with his blood.
Then, at the sound of the trumpet, a furious fight
began, but after a time, Conor MacCormac, having been
twice wounded in the leg, and once in the eye, en-
deavoured to close with his adversary. Teige, how-
ever, was too strong for him, and pummelled him till
he loosened his murion, and then, having easily
stunned him, he, with Conor's own sword, cut his
head off, and presented it to the Lords Justices.
Unhappy Ireland, whose gallant sons would thus
become gladiators, and slaughter each other for the
entertainment of the stranger !
0' Conor Faily absented himself from Queen Eliza-
beth's Irish Parliament in 1585; and during the same
reign, one of the family served with distinction in the
Spanish Armada. In 1597, the O'Conor Faily, with
Capt. Tyrrell and others, carried on a great war in
Leinster from Lady-day to Christmas. In the course
of this war, the battle of Tyrells-pass, in Westmeath,
took place, where the English, being led by Tyrrell
into an ambuscade formed by O'Conor and his men,
were defeated with great slaughter, and only one man
escaped. It is said that O'Conor showed great valour
here, and cut down many of the English with his own
hand ; and MacGeoghegan adds, that from the heat
and great action of his sword-arm, O'Conor's hand
became so swelled, that it could not be extricated
from the guard of his sword until the handle was
cut through with a file.
In the year 1GOO, the O'Conors Faily were for
256 KILLEIGH MONASTERY.
some time in alliance with the Irish, and took- and
demolished most of the castles of Offaley except Dan-
gan (Philipstown), and some others. The Four
Masters record that the Lord Justice went to Offaley
about August in this year, " with many harrows, great
iron rakes, and a great deal of scythes and sickles, and
cut and destroyed the crops of the country, ripe and
unripe ; " in consequence of which the inhabitants of
that country had to go into banishment and exile
until the end of the year.
John 0' Conor, Esq., lineal descendant of Bryan
0' Conor, and representative of the 0' Conors of
Offaley, sat in 1689 in the Parliament of James II.,
as member for Philipstown ; and according to O'Hal-
loran, another of the family, under the title of Count
Ofalia, was Captain General of the coast of Grenada
in Spain, about the year 1770. There is still a Conde*
de Ofalia in Spain. "Wm. O'Connor Morris of Mount-
pleasant, in the King's County, and Eutland Square,
Dublin, Barrister-at-law, represents, in the maternal
line, the 0' Conors of Offaley, being descended from
John 0' Conor, the member for Philipstown, in 1689.
Mr. O'Connor Morris still holds a small portion of
the ancient principality in the King's County ; and
on the roof of the mansion at Mountpleasant, erected
by one of the family, there is a scroll recording that
the owners were the " Princes of Offaley."
Killeigh, already mentioned, and which is still the
burial place of the O'Connor family, is in the barony of
Geashill, in ancient Offaley. Mr. Archdall tells us
KILLOUGHY ABBEY. 257
that in the year 550, St. Sincheal M'Cenenain, Abbot
of Killeach, died of the plague, and that he probably
founded the priory of Augustin Canons of the Holy
Cross of Killeigh. In 807, St. Tigernach, Abbot of
Killeigh, died ; and in 872, Donogh M'Moylduin, the
abbot, was slain in battle by the Danes. A nunnery
was founded at Killeigh by the family of Wan-en soon
after the arrival of the English, for nuns of the Order
of St. Augustin ; and a house for Grey-friars was
erected here in the reign of King Edward I. (1272 to
1307), of which O'Conor was supposed to be the
founder. Donald O'Bruin, "Guardian" of this
friary, was made Bishop of Clonmacnoise in 1303.
In the eighteenth year of the reign of Elizabeth, the
monastery of Killeigh, with several parcels of lands
and tithes, &c., was granted for ever in capite to John
Lee, at the yearly rent of forty-five shillings and six-
pence. Again, in May 1578, the abbey, with all its
temporal possessions, was granted to Gerald, Earl of
Kildare, and his heirs, at the yearly rent of thirty-
three shillings and fourpence, he to maintain one
able horseman.
Killoughy, or Killaghy, also before referred to, was
likewise called KiU-achad-dromfoda, from a long ridge
of hills near it. This place was either in or adjoining
the ancient Hyfaily, and although in the present
barony of Ballyboy, is not far from the border of
Geashill. We are informed that St. Sincheal M'Cene-
nain, already mentioned as the founder of Killeigh
Monastery, was Abbot and Bishop of Kill-achad-
258 PHILIPSTOWN, FOEMEELY DANGAN.
drom-foda, and that he died at the age of 130 years, and
was interred in this abbey. St. JEngusius, in his
litany, thus invokes him and others who "rest" in
Killoughy " Terquinquagenos sanctos monachos cum 12
peregrinis, qui cum Sto Sinchello junior e presbytero, 6f
Sto Sinchello seniore episcopo, fy 12 episcopis qui quies-
cunt in Kittachaddromfoda in regione Hyfailge ; invoco
in auxilium meum per Jesum Christum"
There were many other celebrated abbeys, castles,
&c., in the portion of ancient Offaley included in the
modern King's County, as Durrow of St. Columb or
Columbkill, Lynally called formerly Landelo, Bally-
cowen, &c., but which could not be particularly
referred to here.
It has been mentioned (p. 29) that when the King's
County was being formed in 1557, Dingen orDangan,
the chief seat of the 0' Conors of Offaley theretofore,
but where Lieutenant Bryan had erected a castle
for the English in 1548, was named Philipstown. It
was then so named by Act of Parliament, from Philip,
the husband of Queen Mary, and Maryborough then
also took its name from Queen Mary herself. Philips-
town, or " Phillipstowne," then (1557) became the
capital and Assize town of the King's County, and so
continued until about the year 1833, when the Assizes
commenced to be held in Tullamore. In 1569,
" Phillipstowne " obtained a Charter of Incorporation,
and in the beginning of the reign of James II., was
privileged to send two members to Parliament, which
continued to be done until the Union.
TULLAMORE, THE o'DEMPSEYS, AND GEASHILL. 259
In Mercator's Map of Ireland, already mentioned
as having been published at Amsterdam in 1623, this
town is called " Bally roy" which seems a compound
of Irish and French, meaning, "the town of the king."
In former days Philipstown must have been a place
of considerable importance, for Spencer, in his View of
the State of Ireland, says there was " good store of
people and trade in Philipstown when he wrote (159 6),
and that by reason of the forts there, and at Mary-
borough, " there were good towns then grown which
were the greatest stay of the King's and Queen's
Counties." In Boate and Molyneux's Natural History
of Ireland mention is made of a Mrs. Eckleston who
died at Philipstown in 1691. She was born in 1548, 1
and was therefore 143 years old when she died. The
decline of Philipstown in late years seems owing in a
great measure to the extension to Tullamore of the
Grand Canal, which formerly terminated at Philips-
town, and to the removal of the Assizes to Tullamore,
as already mentioned. The names of the principal
inhabitants of Philipstown in 1823 will be found
(No. 17) in the Appendix.
Tullamore, the present Assize Town of the King's
County, is situate in a part of the barony of Eallycowen,
which appears to have been included in the ancient
territory of O'Diomosaigh, or O'Dempsey, Lord of
Clanmaliere, who is thus referred to by O'Heerin :
" Clanmaliere above all tribes,
Noble is the source of their pedigree,
The smooth plains of the land they have defended,
The country is the inheritance of the O'Dempst-y."
260 TULLAMORE, THE O'DEMPSEYS, AND GEASHILL.
Clanmaliere comprised parts of the baronies of Geas-
hill, Philipstown, and Ballycowen, in the King's
County, with portions of the Queen's County and
Kildare. The O'Dempseys had their chief castle at
Geashill, and they contended with the English under
Strongbow, in 1173. Geashill, thus alluded to, was
a very celebrated place, and is frequently mentioned
in the old annals. Thus it is recorded that Heremon
and Heber Fionn, sons of Miletius, having contended
for the sovereignty of Ireland, they fought a great
battle at Geisiol (Geashill) about a thousand years
before the Christian era, in which Heber *was slain,
and his forces were defeated, and Heremon thereupon
became the first Milesian monarch of Ireland. There
were also some very early synods of the Clergy held
at Geashill, one of which, where SS. Brendan and
Columbkill were present, has been already alluded to
(p. 11). There were likewise several inquisitions held
at Geashill in later times, some of which are referred
to in this work.
Maurice Eegan describes an attack made by the
I O'Dempseys on the English army, in which Eobert de
[Quincy, son-in-law of Strongbow, and standard-
bearer of Leinster, was slain, and the banner of
Leinster was lost. The O'Dempseys were deprived of
most of their possessions after the Elizabethian wars,
but they afterwards obtained regrants of a considerable
portion. Sir Terence O'Dempsey was knighted in
1599, and was created Baron of Philipstown and
Viscount Clanmaliere in 1631, but the title appears to
have become extinct in 1714,
TtJLLAiTORE. 2G1
Tullamore seems to have been not much better than
a village until comparatively late years, and Mr.
Seward in his Topographia Hibernica, written towards
the end of the eighteenth century, says it was then
"but a small place." Tullamore was burned by an
accidental fire about 1790, and was then rebuilt in a
better manner with the assistance of Lord Charleville.
The name Tullamore is derived from the Irish, Tullagh, \
a rising ground, and more, great, that is, the great I
rising ground ; a name which the gentle yet consider-
able ascent of the principal street from the river seems
to make peculiarly applicable. The town and lands
of Tullamore, with several other lands, making alto-
gether about 1,147 acres, were granted to Sir John
Moore of Croghan Castle, in 1622, about the time Bin-
was granted to the Parsons family; This Sir John
Moore was married to the daughter of Adam Loftus,
Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Thomas Moore, afterwards of Croghan, was represen-
tative for Philipstown. The Eight Hon. John Moore
of Croghan, was M.P. for the King's County, and was
subsequently raised to the Irish Peerage in 1715, as
Baron Moore of Tullamore. Charles Moore, the second
Baron, was created Earl of Charleville in September
1758, and on his death in 1764 the title became ex-
tinct, but the estates passed to his nephew, John
Bury, Esq., whose only son, Charles William Bury,
became Earl of Charleville in 1806. Owing to the
grant of the place to the Moore family, the appellation
TuUawoore was occasionally substituted for the more
262 TULLAMOKE.
ancient Irish one, although in the grant it is called
Tullamore. This innovation in the name is of long
standing however, for upon a small copper penny
token issued there in 1670 by Eobert Worrell, a
hosier or bootmaker, it is called Tullamoore. The
existence of this token would lead one to believe there
was some considerable trade carried on there at the
time.
"When the volunteers were being enrolled in Ireland,
towards the end of the last century (see p. 90), a
corps called the " Tullamore True Blue Eangers," was
formed in Tullamore. This corps was associated the
28th of October 1778, the uniform being scarlet, faced
blue, with silver lace. The corps was commanded by
Colonel Charles Wm. Bury.
Who has not heard of the celebrated Tullamoore
shilling ? It is a copper token weighing more than
two penny pieces, and was issued in 1802 to pay the
workmen then engaged in building Charleville Castle.
It bears on one side the Charleville arms within
" Charleville Forest," and " Industry shall prosper,
1802 ; " and on the reverse is inscribed, " One
shilling and one penny, payable at Tullamoore first
Tuesday in each month."
In 1808 a strange, but very serious conflict, took
place in Tullamore between the cavalry and infantry
of the German Legion then quartered there, under the
command of General Baron Bock, on the one side, and
a light brigade of Irish Militia which happened to be
. marching through the town, on the other. There is
TtJLLAMORE. 263
much difference as to the origin of this conflict, but
the more correct opinion seems to be that it originated
in the trifling circumstance of a soldier of one nation
having taken a switch from a child belonging to
the other. However that may be, all the troops in the
town soon became engaged, and bugles and trumpets
sounded in despite of the officers. The German cavalry
charged, but their Irish opponents received them with
a steady fire, partly from houses, and from under cover
of gateways and lanes. A regiment of German infantry
having marched round, sought to take the militia in
the rere, but just as they were proceeding in full force
down the hill, about the place where the late respected
Francis Berry, J.P., resided, a single company of the
Irish charged them with the bayonet, and the entire
German regiment fled in disorder. Many were killed
and wounded on both sides. The appearance of the
venerable grey-headed General Bock, on horseback,
hat in hand, between the fire of both parties, en-
deavouring to restore order, was noble and imposing
in the extreme. In the little graveyard of Kilcrutten,
opposite and not far from the chief entrance to Tulla-
morc Court House, there is a handsome pillar monu-
ment erected to the memory of Frederick Wm. Baron
Oldenhausen, a captain in the German dragoons, who
was killed in this affair. A man named Egan, an in-
habitant of Tullamore, was quietly looking on without
giving offence to either party, but having endeavoured
to remove the dead body of an Irish soldier from being
trampled on by the German horses, ho was brutally
264 HY RIAGAIN AND THE O'DUNNS.
cut to pieces by the foreigners. Egan's father, for the
loss of his son, had a pension settled on him for the
remainder of his life.
Chaiieville Castle, the seat of the Earls of Charle-
ville, is a very fine building, in the style of an English
baronial castle. It is something less than a mile from
Tullamore. The County Court and Gaol are both good
buildings. The Protestant Church is a fine edifice
erected upon a hill about a quarter of a mile from the
town. It was built about 1818, and is said to have
cost over 8,000. The Eoman Catholic Church, which
is spacious and nicely finished, is situate towards the
centre of the town.
In the Appendix will be found (No. 18), the names
of the principal inhabitants of Tullamore in 1823.
Hy Eiagain, or Hy Began, the territory of the
O'Dunns, comprised the present barony of Tinnehinch,
in the Queen's County a portion of ancient Offaley
which now adjoins the more modern King's County.
The boundary between the ancient Ely O'Carroll and
Hy Eiagain, which is also part of the present bounds
between the King's and Queen's Counties, is only a
short distance from Cadamstown already mentioned
(p. 163). The O'Dunns, also spelled O'Duinn and
O'Dunne, chiefs of Hy Eiagain, were like the
0' Conors, of the race of Heremon. by the monarch
Cahir More and Eossa Failge his son ; and were
chiefs of much power and importance in former times.
Some of the family were afterwards called O'Doyne.
In the old annals of the country there is frequent
HY KIAGAIN AND THE 0>DUNN6. 205
reference to the O'Dunns, chiefs of Hy Eiagain.
Thus we find from the Four Masters that Bebinn,
daughter of Donal O'Dunn and wife of O'Dempsey,
died in 1376. The O'Dempseys have been already
referred to as Lords of Clanmaliere. "We again learn
from the same writers that in 1379, David O'Dunn,
"chief of Hy Eiagain," was slain by the son of
Carroll O'Dunn; and they also relate that Eoderick
O'Dunn, " chief of Hy Eiagain," died in the year
1427.
O'Heerin thus alludes to the O'Dunns or O'Duinns :
" Over Hy Regan of the mighty victories,
Are active warriors who conquer in battle,
O'Dunn is chief of the conquering troops,
The mainstay of the battling spears."
Teige Logha O'Doyne, or O'Duinne, was married to
Margaret, daughter to the celebrated Shane O'Neill,
and his treaty with St. Leger in the reign of Henry
VIII., is mentioned by Carcw and by Morrin. The
Four Masters notice that neither O'Dunn or O'Demp-
sey attended Queen Elizabeth's Irish Parliament in
1585. According to Morrison and other writers,
although Sir Terence O'Dempsey and Teige O'Doyne
of that period joined the Queen towards the close of
the Irish wars of Elizabeth, the O'Conors, O'Molloys,
and O'Dunns had then 468 foot and 12 horse in the
King's County against the Queen, and which were
afterwards increased by MacCoghlan with 200, and
by the O'Dunns with 100 more.
I.A
266 HY RIAGAIN AND THE o'DUNNS.
The estate of Brittas, nearly in the centre of the
ancient Hy Kiagain, the territory of the O'Dunns, has
for time immemorial been in the possession of the
family; and within their former extensive territory
around, there are numerous remains of their castles
and strongholds. Brittas was surrendered to James I.
when required, and a grant was retaken in fee by Dr.
Charles Dunne, who in 1602 was M.P. for Trinity
College. He was also Vice-Chancellor of the College,
and a Master in Chancery. In his petition to the
.Lord Deputy and Council in 1608, Dr. Dunne re-
marks that "Teige Eeaghe O'Doyne, sonne to Mar-
garet daughter to Shane O'Neyle, is not a fitt ruler
over so strong a countrye, and so fitt for rebellion as
Iregaine is."
This Dr. Charles Dunne had a brother named
Barnaby, from whom is descended General Francis
Plunket Dunne now of Brittas, in the Queen's County,
the present head of this brave and illustrious old Irish
race, now so fitly represented by him and his brothers.
It would be impossible to give here more than a short
account of this ancient clan. The pedigree of the
O'Dunnes, however, has been given by M'Firbis,
O'Donovan, and others., and General Dunne has many
most interesting original documents relating to the
family. He has likewise a tracing of a very curious
Irish manuscript, discovered by the late respected
Win. Smith O'Brien in the convent of St. Isidore, at
Eouen in France. This manuscript was written by
Teige, or Terence, O'Doyne, and is dated in 1633. It
DISCOVERY AT LOTJGH ANNAGH IN 1849. 267
commences thus : "A prayer for Teige, son of AenguSj
son of Eory O'Dunn," and gives much information as
to the pedigree of the family, and as to places in their
ancient territory. It is written in Irish, and contains
some very unusual abbreviations.
The country of the O'Dunns appears to have been
much covered by woods, and to have been very diffi-
cult of access in former times, and accordingly we have
seen (p. 62) the dangers and difficulties of a passage
through " the woods of Irregan," referred to by Lord
Castlehaven. This is also alluded to by other writers.
The O'Dunns were likewise frequently called
" O'Dunns of the mountain," from the nature of their
country. This was expressed in Irish, " Ua Duin an
t-sleibhe."
About the year 1849, an interesting discovery was
made on the property of General Dunne at Lough
Armagh, a natural piece of water about three quarters
of a mile long and half a mile wide, between the
King's and Queen's Counties, and not very far from
Brittas. There were then discovered in this Lough
four or five ancient Irish boats of the kind called
Crannoffj each made from a single oak tree. The
general length of these boats was over twenty feet,
and each was about two and a half feet wide. When
discovered they all lay in the same part of the lough,
each having the same dip in the sand, and all lying
with the bows in the same direction ; from which it
would appear as if they were all overwhelmed to-
gether in the same common catastrophe. An account
268 DISCOVERY AT LOUGH ANNAGH IN 1849.
of this discovery, with a particular description of one
of the boats then found, will be seen in the Transac-
tions of the Kilkenny Archceological Society for Septem-
ber 1852. It is said that in comparatively recent
years, oak framing has been visible in the middle of
the lough where it is least deep. There is likewise
a local tradition to the effect that in the war of 1641,
a house of timber was erected on this platform by a
party of insurgents, and that they went out at night in
a boat and plundered the surrounding neighbourhood.
The village of Clonaslee, the property of General
Dunne, adjoins Brittas. The name Clonaslee pro-
bably signifies the plain, or retired place of the pass.
CHAPTER XV.
FROM BIRR TO LORHA IN LOWER ORMOND J INCLUDING, > **.
BALLINDARRAGH CASTLE J KNOCKSHEEGOWNA HILL J
BARONNE COURT J A REMARKABLE " RATH " ' SHRA-
DUFFE, AND THE " FATHER OF THE IRISH BAR."
IN the neighbourhood of Birr the Little Brusna river
divides the King's County from Lower Ormond in
the County of Tipperary. It has been stated (p. 2 14) that
this river probably takes its name from the village of
Brusna, a few miles from Birr. In passing from Birr
into the nearest part of Lower Ormond, we cross this
river at Bally loughnane, in later times called Rivers-
town, within less than a mile of Birr. The hill yet
called " Gallows Hill," from having been formerly a
place of execution names so acquired are never for-
gotten in Ireland lies between Birr and Ballylough-
nane. A castle stood heretofore at the King's County
side of the river, close to the bridge at Ballylouglmane,
nit the walls fell in 1848, leaving the present large
heap of debris to mark the spot where this castle
formerly stood. It was called the castle of Ballindarra
270 BALLINDAKRAGH CASTLE.
or Ballindarraghe, which means "the town of the
oaks," and this is still the name of the adjoining
lands. The name Ballyloughnanesignifi.es "Lough-
nane's town," and seems to have been chiefly
applied to the Tipperary side of the river, where,
even in late years, there were several persons of the
name resident.
The castle and lands of Ballindarragh appear to
have been the property of Arthur Coghlan about the
time the Parsons family settled at Birr. An inquisi-
tion post mortem taken at Philipstown in March 1631,
states, however, that Francis Ackland was seized at
his death, together with other lands at Ballindarragh,
" of one castle and bawn and 30 acres of arable and
pasture land in the town of Ballindarraghe aforesaid."
The same inquisition further found that this Francis
Ackland had died about two years before, and that
Francis Ackland, his son and heir, was sixteen years
of age and unmarried. The premises were held of the
king in free and common socage.
Although part of the lands of Ballindarragh were
granted to Sir Laurence Parsons by patent in 1620,
it has been seen (p. 38) that the " castle and bawn,"
with a portion of these lands, were then excepted from
this grant. The castle and excepted portion of land
were, however, subsequently mortgaged to the widow
of Sir Laurence, and having been finally purchased by
her, she demised by will the " castle and bawn," to
her son Fenton Parsons. The castle of Ballindarragh
was afterwards occupied as an outpost by the Birr
BALLINDARRAGH CASTLE. 271
garrison in several of the contests between them and
the surrounding Irish ; and, so far as appears from the
MS. Journal of the Siege of Birr already referred to
(p. 57), the castle was attacked by the Irish on the
28th of January 1642, but without success. Accord-
ing to the same authority, Ballindarragh castle was
again attacked in September following, when all the
houses about it were burned, and many of the assail-
ants were killed by the fire of musketry, and by stones
and firebrands cast at them over the surrounding
walls; and finally, the attacking party went away
after having " set fire to the door of the castle which
the warders had walled up on the inside."
On "Plough Monday," the 10th of January 1848,
the walls of this castle spontaneously fell with a loud
crash. It had been rent from top to bottom for many
years, and the fissure was observed to have greatly
increased some time before the castle fell. On the day
mentioned to use the words of a person who had been
looking on the two sides gradually and slowly
opened asunder, and each fell out prostrate from the
centre. The walls were some minutes separating
before the two masses of masonry overbalanced their
respective centres of gravity, but then the whole was
precipitated to the ground. The lateral pressure
of the massive stone arches which formed the ceilings
and floors of the building, seems to have been the im-
mediate cause of forcing the walls asunder.
On the Little Brusna river not far above the
site of Ballindarragh castle, there is a place called
272 ZNOCZSHEEGOWNA HILL.
Ath-na-gceain, " the ford of the head," where, according
to tradition, a battle formerly took place.
A short distance from Ballyloughnane on entering
Lower Ormond by the road to Ballingarry, a prospect
of considerable beauty opens before one. In front at
a few miles distance rises the well-known hill called
Knocksheegowna, with its fairy inhabited castle on the
summit, bringing to mind the history, stories, and
legends of old Ireland in past times. The name
Knocksheegowna is generally reputed to mean " the
hill of the fairies," but it seems literally to be "the
hill of the heifer spirit," the cattle god of the Irish
in pagan times. This hill was then probably cele-
brated for the worship of that false deity, and the
neighbourhood is even yet particularly suited for
the rearing of heifers. It seems to have been from
the Irish deities the popular idea of fairies originated ;
and Knocksheegowna has long been supposed to be
the head quarters of " the gentle people." Indeed the
name and the romantic appearance of this hill, and the
associations connected with it, suggest the presence
here, if anywhere, of "the good people."
At the foot of Knochsheegowna is the village of
Ballingarry the ancient Baile-an-Gharrdha, or " town
of the garden." We are here again reminded of
never-ending dissensions not only amongst Irishmen,
but even among Irishmen of the same family ; for the
Four Masters record that in 1599, " John, the son of
Giolla-Dubh, son of James O'Kennedy of Baile-an-
Gharrdha of Knoch-Sith-Una (Knocksheegowna) in
BARONNE COURT. 273
Ormond, was slain by Hugh, the son of Murrogh
O'Kennedy of Baile-ui-Chaire." This latter place
is now called Ballyquirk, and is about two miles
from the celebrated abbey of Lorha in Lower
Ormond.
Leaving Knocksheegowna and the fairies, we return
to the neighbourhood of Ballyloughnane. Not far
from the village, on a rising ground amidst elegant
plantations, and with a fine prospect taking in Knock-
sheegowna and the Little Brusna river, stands Baronne
Court, the beautiful residence of Mrs. Marshall, relict
of the late Eev. Joseph Marshall, J.P., who had con-
siderable property in the vicinity. The charming view
of this elegant mansion, must now also cause in those
who remember the late owner, a feeling of regret for
the loss of the honest Justice, the kind, indulgent
landlord, and sincere friend, such as Ireland can
badly afford to lose. The writer of these pages had
frequent opportunities for observing the honesty of
purpose, and the intelligence, invariably shown by the
late Eev. Mr. Marshall on the magisterial bench ; and
he had learned, from long experience, how great was
the confidence of litigants on either side, that they
would meet with nothing but fair play from the Rev.
Justice. The respect shown by the tenantry for his
memory, and for his widow and young family since his
death, is the best testimony to the character of the late
reverend gentleman as a landlord. He died in 1865,
and rests in the ancient burial ground at Loughkeen,
not far from Baronne Court. Here his widow erected
s
274 A EEM ARK ABLE RATH.
to his memory, a beautiful cut stone altar tomb, sur-
mounted by a cross.
About a quarter of a mile from Ballyloughnane on
the way to Lorha, a rather narrow road branches off
to the right, leading to Croghan. This road is com-
monly called " Lis Lane," and close to it at the
right side and not far from the Lorha road there is a
very remarkable and perfect "fort," planted with
trees. Such forts are called in Irish rath, lios, or Us,
and dun, each meaning a fortress or habitation ; and
they are generally supposed by the people of the
country, to be the work of the Danes. This is an error,
however, for although the Danes may have erected a
few of them, the ancient Irish themselves long before
the coming of the Danes, raised nearly the entire of
the numerous forts of this description, yet to be found
in Ireland. The multitude of places in this country,
the names of which commence with "Kath," "Lis,"
or "Dun," show how very numerous these forts must
have formerly been. They appear to have been used
in very remote times by Irish kings, chiefs, and
others, for a protection to their dwellings erected with
timber upon them ; and there was sometimes a further
enclosed space, probably for persons of inferior degree
and for cattle, &c., adjoining the principal circular
mound or fort. The rath at " Lis Lane " has this
additional enclosure also, with the remains of the
rampart surrounding it, and traces of the entrance
to the east side; and altogether, this place, so con-
venient to Birr, is worthy of a visit. At Drum-
SHRADUFFE, AND THE FATHER OF THE BAR. 276
cullen, near Kinnitty, there is a fort almost similar to
this one.
About four miles from Birr, still on the Lorha road,
is Sraduffe, Shraduffe, or Straduffe, the residence of
the Antisell family, where this very respectable old
family has been settled for nearly two centuries. This
family appears to have been known by the different
names Antisell, Entwissel, and Anketel. They came
to Ireland from Enswell in Lancashire, and settled
at Killowning, now called Castle "Wellington, near
Nenagh, from which they afterwards removed to Shra-
duffe, which was purchased by Christopher Antisell in
1709. The following incident relative to a member
of the family, affords an example of the now almost
forgotten code of honour resorted to in Ireland even
in comparatively recent times, and by the most
enlightened and best educated classes. The late
Christopher Antisell of the Shraduffe family, barrister-
at-law, and for a long time father of the Irish bar, was
known to have had the most strict notions of honour,
with a very warm temper. About the year 1825, the
late Eobert Holmes, also barrister-at-law, and who
was likewise father of the bar for many years before
his death, was engaged as Counsel on one side, while
Mr. Antisell was on the other, in a suit then pending
in the Court of Exchequer. In the course of some
argument in Court, Mr. Antisell, carried away by that
anxiety for his client which always distinguished him,
used in the warmth of debate some expression which
Mr. Holmes took offence at. The same evening the
276 SHRADUFFE, AND THE FATHER OF THE BAR.
late Mr. Daniel, Q.C., waited on Mr. Antisell for an
explanation, and was by him referred to Mr.
Thomas Lalor Cooke, the writer of this account of
the occurrence, as a person authorized to act for
him. Fortunately neither of the deputed friends were
inclined to resort to hostilities, if such could be
avoided; but while they were thus peaceably dis-
posed, the principals were men of great personal
bravery, and of determination almost amounting to
obstinacy ; and each had been previously engaged in
one or more affairs of honour. The greater part of
two days having been spent in negotiating, a hostile
meeting seemed likely to result from Messrs. Daniel
and Cooke not being able to agree as to the facts,
neither of them having been present at what occurred
in the Court of Exchequer.
At this stage of the affair, Mr. Cooke applied to the
late Daniel O'Connell, who having been present at the
original transaction in Court, and being indifferent
between the parties, was perfectly capable of deciding
as to the facts. "Why, Cooke," said the Liberator
as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "my opinion is
that Antisell is wrong. He insulted Holmes first, and
he now wants to shoot him if he perseveres, and does
not apologize." Having his own opinion on the case
thus backed by so competent an authority, Mr. Cooke
agreed that an apology should be given, and Mr.
Daniel consented that it should be received. The
insult having been offered in the Court of Exchequer,
it was arranged that Messrs. Holmes and Antisell,
SHRADUFFE, AND THE FATHER OF THE BAR. 277
accompanied by their two friends, should meet in the
private chamber of one of the Barons, and that the
amende honourable should be there made in presence
only, besides those mentioned, of Mr. O'Connell and
Master Goold, as members of the bar. At the ap-
pointed time these six gentlemen met, and a mild
form of apology having been read, it was followed
by a more ample spontaneous one, which, much
to the credit of him who spoke it, seemed to flow
from a generous and brave heart. It is unneces-
sary to add, that the parties separated perfectly
reconciled.
Christopher Antisell, the father of the Irish bar,
here alluded to, had a brother, John Antisell, who
resided in Birr until shortly before his death in
1810. It is this Mr. John Antisell who is referred
to (p. 234), as the writer's father-in-law, and one
of those accustomed to travel on horseback from
Birr to Dublin in days gone by, stopping at Bally-
boy or the "Blue Ball," as the first day's journey.
It was he likewise who saved Sir Laurence Parsons
from the drunken yeomanry in Birr, as also men-
tioned (p. 96). He had considerable property and
influence in Birr and the neighbourhood, and took
an active part in endeavouring to calm the animosity
which existed there in these troubled times; and
to his influence and exertions, many were then
indebted for their safety.
A short distance beyond Shraduffe is Derrylahan
Park, the fine residence of William Henry Head, J.P.
278 DERRYLAHAN PARK.
The name Derrylahan, signifying the " broad oak
wood," shows there must have been extensive plan-
tations of oak here at an early period. Mr.
Head has erected at great expense within a few
years back, a handsome new mansion, with a nice
entrance and gate lodge.
CHAPTER XYI.
LORHA OR LOTHRA, SAINT RUADHAN, AND THE CURSING OF
TARA. " THE FERRY " AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. TIR-
DAGLASS, NOW TERRTGLASS. THE o'KENNEDYS AND
MAC EGANS. IRISH BREHONS AND BREHONISM. THE
O'MEARAS AND TOOMAVARA.
THE celebrated abbey known as Lorra, Lorha,
Lorragh, or Lorho, is about eight miles west from
Birr, in a village to which, as well as to the parish,
the abbey has given its name, in the barony of
Lower Ormond and County of Tipperary. Lorha is
situate in a quiet, romantic looking valley almost
surrounded by hills, and seems just such a place as
would be selected for their residence, by men intend-
ing to live in peace, if permitted to do so.
Lorha is generally called Lothra in the old annals,
and it was also named Lothair. It was likewise
known as Rathnagranagh, that is, " fort of the sun
ford " ; and it is so named even so late as the 22nd of
March 1702, in the enrolment of appointments for
augmentation of livings, where we find " Rathna-
granagh alias Lorho to augment the Vic. of Lorho
Killaloe Diocese." It is curious to find still a very
280 LORHA OR LOTHRA, AND SAINT RUADHAN.
remarkable fort or moat on the verge of the river
near one of the bridges at Lorha, and where, of course,
there was formerly a ford. There appears to have
been at least three religious houses at Lorha, the
remains of one being near the present Roman
Catholic Church, another where are portions of two
ancient stone crosses at the Protestant Church, and
between these, the third, known as " Monaster-a-
cuinain" which probably means Kennedy's monastery.
Near this latter, but on the opposite side of the pre-
sent road, there is a covered spring, commonly known
s " Ruadhan' s well."
e nave already seen (p- 215) that, according to
Colgan, St. Patrick visited Lothra or Lorha, as also
Tirdaglass, now Teiryglass, in the neighbourhood.
St. Ruadan, Ruadhan, or Ruathan, the founder of
Lothra, was likewise called Rodanus, and may have
been called Ruadhan from ruadh, which means "red
t '
haired." He was of royal blood, having been, ac- l
cording to the O'Clerighs, fourth in descent from
Oilioll Olum, King of Munster, in the third century.
St. Ruadan was also counted one of the " Twelve
Apostles of Erin." In an Irish poem on Tara,
Teamhair, Teamair, or Temor, by Cuan O'Lochain, a
celebrated bard who died in 1024 (as translated), St.
Ruadan and a synod held by him there, are thus
referred to :
" In this rath was held the synod of Patrick,
And the synods of Brendan and of Kuadan,
And afterwards the synod of Adamnan."
LOKHA OR LOTHRA, AND SAINT RUADHAN. 281
The cursing of Tara by St. Euadhan, is mentioned
by different writers with slight variations. The cir-
cumstances appear to be as follows : Dermod or
Diarmaid, King of Ireland, called MacCarroll, took
prisoner a brother or near relative of St. Euadhan, and
the Saint in consequence having laid a curse on Tara,
no other king resided there after the death of Dermod
in 565. The Book of Rights, as translated by John
O'Donovan, Esq., describes this occurrence thus :
" The cause of the extinction of the regality of Team-
hair was the fasting of Patrick and his people against
Laeghaire, the son of Niall, and the fasting of
Kuadhan of Lothair, the son of Aengus, with the
Saints of Eire, against Diarmaid, son of Cearbhall, and
against the four tribes of Teamhair ; and these saints
promised (i.e., predicted) that there should not be a
house at Teamhair of the race of Laeghaire, or of the
seed of Niall (but) that there should be of the race of
Oilioll Olum." An ancient Irish bard, as translated,
thus refers to it :
" From the reign of the brown haired Dennod,
Son of Fergus, son of Carroll,
From the judgment of Huadhan on his house,
There was no king at Temor."
A full account of the cursing of Tara by St.
Euadhan of Lorha, will be found in Petrie's History
and Antiquities of Tara Hill. The following informa-
tion regarding Lorha is taken from Mr. Archdall's
Monasticon and other sources :
An abbey for Eegular Canons was founded at
282 LORHA OK LOTHRA, AND SAINT RUADHAN.
Lothra or Lorha in the sixth century by St. Euadan,
who presided over 150 monks there, and died in 584,
when he became patron of the abbey. The abbot
Cailknie died in 652, and in 708 died the abbot
Colman Mac Seachnasy ; Columb Mac Faelgusa, called
the bishop, died in 783, and the abbot Brickine in
the year 842. In 845, Turgesins with his Norwegians
set fire to and destroyed " this town," with the
churches and other religious houses ; but Maolseach-
lain, King of Meath, having taken him, put an end
to his sacrilegious crimes, by drowning him in Lough
Ainin, in Meath.
The abbot and bishop Dinearlagh died in 864 ; the
abbot Maolgorgais in 888 ; the abbot Core, son of
Coinligan, died in 946 ; and in 957 died Moenach,
" archdeacon or vicar of Lorrah." In 1050, the
archdeacon Maolduin O'Heigarthy died; the abbot
Moelmuire O'Scoly died in 1106; and O'Scobaig,
" comorb of St. Euadan," died in 1108. In the year
1154, an accidental fire destroyed the abbey ; a like
calamity occurred in three years afterwards; and
again in 1179, another conflagration destroyed "this
town." We have already seen (p. 21) that in
1207, the castles of Lothra, Birr, and Kinnitty
were " broken down and destroyed " by Murtagh
O'Bryan.
Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, founded in 1269
a Dominican friary at Lorrah, and in 1301 a general
chapter of the order was held there. Ware states
that the hand .of Saint Euadhan, the patron, was
THE " LOKHA RANGERS " IN 1782. 283
preserved in a silver case in Lorrah abbey until the
suppression ; and we learn from the Four Masters, that
in 1599 " the prior of Lothra, in Ormond, namely,
John, the son of John, son of Giollapatrick O'Hogan,
was slain by a party of the O'Kennedys in the
month of July precisely." Dr. Burke, in the Hibernia
Dominicana^ informs us that this friary was so com-
plete in 1688, that a provincial chapter of the order
was held there, and 150 friars clothed in their proper
habits, attended on the occasion. It appears, however,
from the same work, that in the year 1756, being sixty-
eight years afterwards, there were only two monks
of the order of St. Dominick at Lorrah; and there
were then likewise two at Portumna in the vicinity. It
is remarkable to find two clergymen of the order, still
in the neighbourhood of Portumna.
When the Volunteers were being raised in Ireland,
a corps called " The Lorha Hangers," was formed at
Lorha. A meeting of this corps Captain "Walsh in
the chair, and Kobert Purcell, Esq., acting as secre-
tary was held at Lorha on the 16th of April 1782,
and the following patriotic resolutions were passed :
" Eesolved unanimously That the perfect emanci-
pation of this country ought to be the primary object
of each individual, and should not only be wished,
but sought for, by every patriotic and constitutional
mode."
" Eesolved That we conceive it a duty we owe to
our country, to disavow the authority of any body of
men to make laws for this independent kingdom, save
284 "THE FERRY."
only, the King, Lords, and Commons of Ireland ; and
we pledge ourselves to our brother Volunteers, to
co-operate with them in every effectual measure, for
the establishment of our rights on the most permanent
basis."
" Eesolved That we shall be always ready to assist
our sovereign, against his natural enemies."
The remains of former ecclesiastical buildings at
Lorha give, even in late years, a good idea of what
must have been the extent and grandeur of the place,
when more than a thousand years ago Turgesius
destroyed " the town with the churches and other
religious houses." It must have been grand and
extensive indeed, even before Walter de Burgh
founded the friary here, eight hundred years since.
There are elegant carvings, and several remarkable
mural slabs and tombs, some belonging to the Mac-
Egan and 'Kennedy families, yet to be seen at
Lorha; and altogether this very interesting and
celebrated place, is well deserving of a visit v The
residence of the Venerable Archdeacon Knox at
Lorha is a fine house, beautifully situated, and sur-
rounded by elegant and well kept gardens and
pleasure grounds, to which a stranger will be freely
admitted.
About two miles from Lorha, on the bank of the
river Shannon, there is a place still known as " The
Ferry," from a very ancient ferry formerly kept here.
This ferry was the principal place for crossing the
Shannon from Ormond to Connaught, or Connaught to
" THE FERRY." 285
Ormond, in former times, and here many persons of
note with their followers, passed from one side to the
other. In these past times when bridges were almost
unknown, a ferry and the proper keeping of it were
matters of great importance, but the fine bridge now
over the river Shannon here, leading to Portumna on
the opposite side, is no doubt a great improvement on
this ancient " ferry." Again, the facility for getting
from Birr to Portumna now in less than an hour, by
the Parsonstown and Portumna Eailway, the station
of which is near " The Ferry " and the bridge, is much
more satisfactory than travelling the same route was
in the year 1620, when, as mentioned (p. 39), Francis
Morley was obliged to hire a guide to conduct him
from Birr to Portumna, which journey cost him five
shillings and eightpence a large sum in the currency
of the time. In the Irish language the word port
means " a ferry," as also a port or harbour, a fort or
garrison. We accordingly find the names of several
places in the neighbourhood of "The Ferry," com-
mencing with the word port, as the town of Portumna,
formerly Port Omna, and Portland on the bank of the
river Shannon, where are the elegant mansion and
beautiful demesne of Thomas Butler Sidney^ J.P.
Higher up the river is the ancient Baile-ui-Eachdach,
now called Ballyhocter, which formerly belonged to
O'Kennedy ; and not far from this is Coillte Euadha
or Eedwood, where are the remains of a castle hereto-
fore the residence of the MacEgans. At the opposite
side of Portumna Bridge from Portland, but on the
286 THE ABBEY OF TIRDAGLASS.
same side of the river, is Bellisle, the fine seat of Lord
Avonmore.
About four or five miles from Lorha, and near the
banks of Lough Derg, is the ancient Tirdaglass, now
Terryglass. The name of this place seems to be
derived from the Irish Tir-da-glaif, which means,
"the land of the two streams." We learn from Mr.
Archdall and other writers, that St. Columba, the son
of Crimthan, " founded, and became the first abbot of
Tirdaglass about the year 548. He died of a pestilence
in the year 552, on the 13th of December, and his
festival is observed on that day."
The abbot Mochoeminus died in 584, and his festi-
val is observed on the 1st of May ; the abbot Colman
Stellain died in 625 ; and in 652, the abbot Aihgean
died. Clemens was abbot in 801, and in the same year
the town and abbey were destroyed by an accidental
fire. St. Moyle Dichru, " anachorite " of Tirdaglass,
"who was usually styled the Sage, and who uttered
many remarkable prophecies," died in 838. In 842
the Danes destroyed the fortress of Dunamase in the
Queen's County, and there slew Hugh MacDuffe
Dachrich, abbot of Tirdaglass ; and the same year they
destroyed by fire Tirdaglass, with the abbey and
churches. Hugh M'Duffe's festival is held on the
8th of July. In 880, Cormac, " prior of Tirdaglass
and of Clonfert-Brendan," died ; the " abbot and
bishop" Maelpeadar MacCuan, died in 890; Mael-
ciaran, " abbot of Tirdaglass and Clonenagh," died in
898, and in 927, the abbot Yirgill died during his
CARRIGAHORIG. 287
pilgrimage at Borne. In 1014, died Donnghal O'Can-
tene, " overseer of this monastery " ; in 1112 this
abbey was destroyed by fire j Tirdaglass was burnt by
the people of Hy Mainy in 1140, " who with their
accustomed .barbarity, destroyed the shrine of the
Saint " ; and in 1162 the abbey was again consumed.
I It has been mentioned (p. 215), that St. Patrick
came from Tirdaglass by Lorha, to Brusna near
Birr.
Near Tirdaglass is Carrigahorig, which appears to be
the place referred to by the Four Masters at the year
1548, as follows : " The Eed Captain (one of the
Butlers), marched with a force against O'Carroll to
Carraic-an-Chomhraic, and O'Carroll gave them battle,
in which he slew two or three score of them. The
Eed Captain marched at three different times with
his forces in one quarter of a year to Carraic-an-
Chomhraic, but he did not succeed in gaining the
castle, or any part of the country, and was obliged
to return without obtaining any advantage after
having sustained much injury, and losing many of his
men."
The principal families of this part of Ormond were
the O'KfinnedySj MacEgans, and O'Mearas. The last
mentioned appear, however, to have been placed more
south. The territory of O'Ceinneide, O'Cinneididh,
O'Cineide or O'Xennedy, appears to have extended
along the Shannon from the neighbourhood of Lorha.
The O'Kennedys were of the Daleassian race, were
generally called " Lords of Ormond/' and were very
288 THE O'KENNEDYS, LORDS OF ORMOND.
powerful from the twelfth to the sixteenth century.
O'Heerin thus refers to them :
" O'Kennedy who reddens his spears,
Rules over the smooth, extensive Glen Omra,
By his tribe is possessed the brown plains gained by valour ;
He obtained the land without opposition."
The following relative to 'the 'Kennedys, merely
since the English invasion, is taken from the Annals
of the Four Masters: In 1180, Donal, son of Teige
O'Cinneididh, " lord of Urmhumha " (Ormond), died ;
Murogh, son of Awlave O'Kennedy, was killed by
LoughlinCPKennedy in 1194 ; and Sadhbh, daughter
of O'Kennedy, died in 1240. The Irish name Sadhbh
signified " goodness," and is now represented by
Sabina. Bryan O'Kennedy, "lord of Ormond," was
treacherously slain by the English in 1371; and in the
same year, Edmond O'Kennedy, " heir to the lordship
of Ormond," died. In the year 1382, Donal, son of
Mahon Dunn O'Kennedy, died ; in 1396, O'Kennedy,
"lord of Ormond," died; and in 1427, the son of
Donal, son of Mahon Dunn O'Kennedy, " lord of
Upper Ormond, was slain by "Walter Tobin, with a
single cast of a javelin." In 1441, " O'Kennedy Eoe,
i.e., Koderick, the son of Philip Liath (the gray), lord
of Ormond ; and Thomas, the son of O'Kennedy Don,"
died. O'Kennedy Fionn (the fair), namely Bryan, the
son of Donal, died in 1588 ; and Anthony and the
Giolla Dubh O'Kennedy, being in contention " about
the lordship," they made peace by dividing it between
them, and conferring the title upon Anthony. This
THE MAC EGANS, CHIEF BREHONS OF IRELAND. 289
Anthony O'Kennedy Fionn, who was " son of Donogh
Oge, son of Hugh, son of Awlave of Baile-ui-Eachdach
in Lower Ormond ( Bally hocter, mentioned p. 285),
died in November 1599 ; and Giolla Dubh O'Kennedy
was nominated the O'Kennedy.
The MacEideadhain or MacEgans, were also chiefs
having possessions in the neighbourhood of Lorha, in
Ormond, although their principal seat seems to have
been at Clan Diarmada in the County Galway. The
MacEgans, however, did not pride themselves on terri-
torial possessions alone, for they were distinguished as
the chief Brehons of Ireland, and hereditary Brehons
of Munster and Connaught, and they were also re-
1 nowned for learning and hospitality. O'Dugan thus
refers to them :
" Precedence for his valour and fame
Be given to MacEgan the noble.
Record him for the activity of his warriors,
Of his prosperity and great renown,
The Clan Diarmada north and south
To place them in my poem is a duty."
The following extracts from the Four Masters alone,
since the English invasion of Ireland, are sufficient to
show how eminent as Brehons, and for learning and
hospitality, were the MacEgans. In 1309, Giolla-na-
neev MacEgan, " chief Brehon of Connaught and the
most learned judge in his time," was killed. The
Irish name Giolla-na-naomh, which is pronounced
Giollananeev, signifies " the servant of the saints."
Maolisa Koe MacEgan, " chief professor of Ireland in
290 THE MAC EGANS, CHIEF BREHONS OP IRELAND.
laws and Brehonism," died in 1317. MacFirbis gives
the pedigree of the MacEgans from a very early period
down to this Maolisa Eoe MacEgan, whose name
" Maolisa " or Maol-Iosa, means, " the servant of
Jesus." In 1399, Boetius MacEgan of Ormond, who
was " learned in the laws and in music, and was
eminent for hospitality," and Giollananeev, son of
Conor MacEgan, " chief professor of laws," died. The
young Cosnamack MacEgan, " chief professor in Bre-
honism " of 0' Conor Faily, was slain " by the sons of
O'Melaghlin, by an accidental cast of a javelin," in
1422 ; and in 1430, Fergal MacEgan, " chief Brehon
of North Connaught, a man learned in the laws and
sciences, and who kept a house of hospitality for all
persons who came to his place, died after a well spent
life." In 1436, died Gillaisa MacEgan, " chief Bre-
hon to MacWatten, a pious, charitable, and humane
man, and professor of a school of laws and poetry ; "
and in 1438, Conor MacEgan, " chief Brehon of Clan-
rikard," died. Hugh MacEgan died in 1443, " in the
tide of his prosperity ; and he was the most learned
and eloquent man of the Irish in his time, and chief
professor of laws in North Connaught ;" and in the
same year died Gillananeev MacEgan of Ormond,
" chief professor of Brehonism in Munster, a man
versed in various arts, and who kept a house of general
hospitality ; " while in 1447, Gillananeev MacEgan,
"chief Brehon and professor of laws in Ireland,"
died.
The Castle of Annameadle, near Toomavara, appears
THE ANCIENT BREHONS. 291
to have been the chief seat of this ancient family in
Ormond, but we find Dionysius MacEgan living in
1602, in the Castle of Coillte Euadha, or "Kedwood"
as the place is still named, coillte being Irish for a wood,
and ruadha signifying red(see p. 285). Even within late
years Darius John MacEgan, solicitor, the representa-
tive of this branch of the MacEgans they appear
even yet to have a taste for the profession of laws, in
which they were so eminent held in the neighbour-
hood of Redwood a portion of their former possessions,
yet known as Ballymacegan, " the town of MacEgan,"
and he is still the owner in fee of Ballyoughter,
within five miles of Lorha Abbey, the burial place of
the family.
The Brehons having been so often alluded to in
connexion with the MacEgans, a few observations as
to the nature of Brehonism may be acceptable to
some of our readers. The Irish term Breitheamh, from
which comes Brehon, signifies a Judge, the Brehons
having been judges and professors of the law, who in
former times proclaimed the laws, and delivered judg-
ments to the chiefs and people. This was generally
done on hills and raths on public occasions. Brehon-
ism and Bardism, as well as Druidism, prevailed in
Ireland from the earliest times, but the introduction
of Christianity caused the Druids, or pagan priests, to
disappear, while Bards and Brehons were still found
in Christian, as well as in pagan times. Many of these
ancient Brehons flourished from the first to the eighth
century, and perfected a code of laws which, from their
292 THE ANCIENT BREHONS.
spirit of equity, were called Breithe Neimhidh, which
signifies " Celestial Judgments." Moran, son of the
King of Ireland in the first century, was one of the
most eminent of these Brehons, and he is represented
in his office of chief judge of Ireland, wearing on his
neck a golden ornament called lodhan Morain } or
" Moran's collar," which is said to have pressed tightly
on the neck of the wearer, and to have nearly choked
him if he attempted to pronounce an unjust judgment.
The Brehons presided at the inauguration of kings,
princes, and chiefs, and as judges and exponents of
the laws they had much power in the country, and
considerable portions of land were assigned for their
use. Each of the Irish princes and chiefs of note
had his own Brehon, the office being hereditary in
some families, as the MacEgans, who were hereditary
Brehons in Connaught, in Leinster, and in Ormond,
and it has been seen that several of them were also
chief Brehons of Ireland.
In a note to the translation of the Annals of Clon-
macnoise, where the death of Maolisa Eoe MacEgan
(there called Maceigan), who died in 1317, is men-
tioned, Mageoghegan, in reference to the office of
Brehon, states as follows : " This Fenechus, or
Brehon Lawe, is none other but the civil law, which the
Brehons had to themselves in an obscure and unknown
language, which none could understand except those
that studied in the open schooles they had. Some were
judges, and others were admitted to plead as barristers,
and for their fees, costs, and all, received the eleventh
THE O'MEARAS AND TOOMAVARA. 293
part of the thing in demand of the party for whom it
was ordered ; the loser paid no costes." And again :
" Every contrey had its peculiar Brehon dwelling
within itself that had power to decide the causes of
that contrey, and to maintain their controversies
against their neighbour contreys, by which they held
their lands of the Lord of the contrey where they
dwelt."
To return to the old Irish families of this part of
Ormond. The country of the O'Mearas, as already
mentioned, appears to have been more south than
Lorha, and probably extended to the Silver Mines and
the village of Toomavara. O'Heerin refers to O'Meara
as follows:
" O'Meara, who is a goodly prince,
The chief of Hy Fahy, obtained extensive lands,
And the Hy Nialls of the race of Eogan the Fair,
All the lions whom I enumerate."
The present name, Toomavara, is formed from the
Irish Tuaim-ui-Mheadhra, or according to Mr. Seward's
Topographia Hibernica, Twamywharra, which names
signify " the tomb of O'Meara." This place was also
called Toome, and Mr. Archdall says there was here a
priory of Eegular Canons, " dedicated to Saint Donan,
although others give it to the Virgin Mary," and that
it was a cell to Inchnemeo. In 1325, " the guardian
of the house of the Blessed Virgin of Thome, or
Theym, was sued by the Prior of Conall for the
advowson of the church of Athenemedele" now
Annameadle, in Ormond. The Priory of Toome was
294
THE O'MEARAS AND TOOMAVARA.
secularized by King Henry VIII., but was afterwards
dissolved by Queen Elizabeth ; and on the 30th of
December, in the 28th year of her reign, it was
granted for 21 years to !M[ile^Magrath, Archbishop of
Cashel. The north part of Toome was granted to
f Eobert Gole, the 29th of January, in the 18th year of
Charles II., and the castle, abbey, town, and houses
of Toome, the abbey lands and various other lands,
were granted to John Dawson, the 17th of August, in
the same year.
CHAPTEK XVII.
NENAGH 1 THE CAPITAL OF LOWER ORMOND ; THEOBALD
WALTER, " CHIEF BUTLER" OF IRELAND J "NENAGH
ROUND," AND TEACHEON OR ST. JOHN'S HOUSE.
THE IRISH "MAC" AND "0."
IT would be wrong to leave Ormond without at least
a few observations on the early history of the town of
Nenagh, the capital of Lower Ormond, and one of the
best and finest towns in Ireland. It is clear, how-
ever, that anything like a full history of ancient
Nenagh would require a considerable volume in itself,
and would altogether exceed the space which could be
devoted to it here. There has likewise been a good
deal already written by others concerning this town,
which can be referred to by those desirous of going
more fully into the subject. What is here written as
to Nenagh is intended, therefore, for such only as may
not have an opportunity of learning elsewhere even so
much of the past history of this fine old town.
The name Nenagh seems derived from the Irish
aonach, which signifies a fair or an assembly. It has
been seen in the account of Birr (p. 20), that previous
to the year 1200, King Henry II. bestowed the
296 THE TOWN OF NENAGH.
country of the O'Carrolls, and the neighbouring
country of the O'Kennedy's and others, on Theobald
Walter, or Fitz Walter, and Philip de Worcester, and
that the former subsequently granted a part of Ely
0' Carroll, including "villain de Birre," the town of
Birr, to Hugh de Hose, or Hussy. It further appears
from Carte's Ormond, and from an ancient charter of
the time of King John, that this Theobald Walter, in
the year 1200, possessed "five cantreds and a half"
of land in Munster, including the cantreds of Ely
O'Carroll and Owermonth, or Owermond, which means
Ormond, " with judgment or trial by water or fire
ordeal, and by duel or combat." This Theobald
Walter, who accompanied Henry II. to Ireland in
1171, was also appointed "Chief Butler" of that
kingdom, which office was afterwards confirmed to
him by Prince John. In A View of the Legal Insti-
tutions, fyc., <$fc., of Ireland, Mr. Lynch, in reference to
the hereditary office of " Chief Butler" and the
Ormond family, says that Prince John, when confirm-
ing the incorporation charters of Ireland, reserved a
privilege, " That out of each ship that thither should
happen to come, his officer (meaning Lord Theobald,
who is styled ' Pincerna ' in those charters) might
choose two hogsheads of wine for his use, for forty
shillings, that is to say, for twenty shillings each
hogshead, and nothing more, unless at the pleasure of
the merchant."
In 1221, Theobald Fitz Walter, the son of Theobald,
the first Butler of Ireland, assumed from the office
THE TOWN OF NENAGH. 297
which he also held, the name of Le Botiler, or Butler,
and from thiso ffice also the three covered cups were
placed on the armorial escutcheon. It is almost un-
necessary to mention, that in the reign of Edward III.,
James Butler, the descendant of Fitz "Walter, became
Earl of Ormonde, and that the Most Noble the Marquis
of Ormonde is now the head of the family.
On thus getting possession of Ormond, Fitz"Walter
.^appears to have fixed his residence where Nenagh
now stands, almost in the centre of it, and he there
built the castle, the extent and grandeur of which may
be judged of by the ruins which yet remain. About
the same time he founded at Tyone, near Nenagh, an
hospital and priory, dedicated to St. John the Baptist,
the ruins of which are likewise still to be seen ; and,
in course of time, a town grew up around the castle,
and near the priory. It appears, however, from Carte's
Ormond, that Theobald Fitz Walter was interred in
the Abbey of Owney, which had also been founded
by him. It may be more convenient to conclude a
few observations as to Nenagh Castle, before referring
to the hospital of St. John.
It appears from the Pipe Rolls in the Record Tower,
Dublin Castle, that a considerable sum was charged
about the year 1287, by "Walter de la Haye, Escheator
of Ireland, for repairs done by him about the Castle of
Nanath or Nanach (Nenagh), while in the king's
hands, during the minority of Theobald, heir of
Theobald le Boteller. There are charges here made
for repairing and roofing towers and houses, rebuilding
298 THE TOWN OF NENAGH.
a bridge, gates, and palisades, and repairing prisons.
There is also forty-one pounds charged as paid to the
Constable of the Castle of Nanach for " warding the
said castle, " and twenty shillings and four pence as ex-
pended for "horses coated in mail," for maintaining the
ward of the said castle, during the war of William de
Burgo.
The O'Kennedys, it seems, rose against James the
second Earl of Ormond, but they were defeated, and
Daniel O'Kennedy, the chief of their sept, was taken
prisoner, and hanged. Before this was accomplished,
however, the Irish had effectually banished and rooted
out from Ormond the descendants of the English, who
had settled there ; and according to an ancient MS. of the
Ormonde family, had "razed to the ground the town of
Nenagh, being then a town-corporate, and all the houses
and castles in that country, except the Castle of Nenagh,
which was then strongly guarded by the said James,
Earl of Ormond."
In consequence of this state of things, James, the
third Earl of Ormond, in the reign of Eichard II.,
built the Castle of Gowran, in the County Kilkenny,
and made it his chief residence. He afterwards, how-
ever, in the year 1392, purchased from Sir Hugh le
Despenser considerable estates in Kilkenny, including
the Castle of Kilkenny, which then became the chief
seat of the family, as Nenagh Castle had been in
earlier times.
During the Wars of the Eoses in England, in the
fifteenth century, in which some of the Ormond family
THE TOWN OF NENAGH. 299
took part, the Castle of Nenagh was lost to them in
their absence ; and subsequently, by the " Statute of
Absentees," all the estates of the Earls of Ormond,
including Nenagh, were resumed into the hands of
King Henry VIII. The king, however, soon after-
wards granted by patent to Sir Piers of Ormonde, whom
he created Earl of Ossory the 23rd of February 1527,
all the lands in Ireland belonging to the Earldom of
Ormond, that had been in his (the king's) hands, and,
amongst others, according to Cartes Ormond, the
manors, castles, towns, and lands of Thurles, Nenagh,
and Eoscrea. By virtue of this grant, the Earl of
Ossory, who was soon afterwards restored to the
original title of Ormond, recovered the demesne lands
and Castle of Nenagh. It appears, however, he then
obtained possession of nothing more, for an inquisition
taken at Clonmel, in 1547, on the death of James
Butler, then late Earl of Ormond and Ossory (son of
Piers), who was poisoned at a supper at Ely House,
Holborn, finds that on the day of his death he was
seized in his demesne, as of fee tail, of " the manor of
Nenagh, in the county aforesaid, and of one castle,"
with some small portions of land in the neighbourhood.
This inquisition also finds that the " manor of Nenagh
aforesaid is valued at nothing by the year, because
waste," which seems to imply that the lands about
Nenagh, forming part of the manor, were then in the
possession of Irish, who refused to render suit and ser-
vice to the lord of the manor for the lands so held by
them. In truth the Irish, including the O'Kennedys,
300 THE TOWN OF NENAGH.
O'Carroll's, MaeEgans, O'Mearas, O'Meaghers, Ma-
graths, Byans, and others, appear to have continued
in possession of Upper and Lower Ormond, save the
demesne lands of the Earl of Ormond, from this time
until the arrival of Cromwell's forces, nearly one
hundred years afterwards.
It has been seen (p. 287), that in 1548, the " Red
Captain " (supposed to be one of the Eutlers), attacked
Carraic-an-Chomhraic (Carrigahorig), in 0' Carroll's
country, and it was probably in return that 0' Carroll,
according to the Four Masters at the same year,
"burned the Aonach (N"enagh), both monastery and
town from the fortress outwards, and on the same
occasion he burned the monastery of Uaithne (Owney),
expelled the English therefrom, and confounded them
very much, and subdued their power and strength so
much, that he commanded them to quit his country
(Ormond in Tipperary, which was part of Ely
0' Carroll), except alone a few guards, which were in
Nenagh, viz., in the Tower, of the son of Manus."
Mr. Archdall gives this occurrence as taking place at
Nenagh two years later, thus : " 1550. In this year
O'Carvall burnt to the ground both the friary and
town, but the garrison preserved the castle."
The ancient fortress or round tower, still so con-
spicuous in Nenagh, is the " tower " and " castle " so
often referred to in the foregoing pages. The circular
keep not to be equalled in size or height by any
other edifice of the kind in Ireland is the principal
portion of the grand old building that now remains.
THE TOWN OF NENAGH. 301
In front of the keep was the spacious baronial hall,
and around were massive walls, with four other round
towers of lesser size, and a lofty portcullised gate.
This castle was commonly called "Nenagh Bound,"
and must have been well calculated to resist the attacks
of forces using arrows and battering rams, but when
gunpowder came well into use, "Nenagh Bound" was
unable to hold out very long against ordnance placed
on the heights commanding it. Thus Owen Boe
O'Neill with the Irish took it in 1641, and it was
retaken by Lord Inchiquin. In 1651, General Ireton
besieged the town and forced the garrison to surrender,
when, according to tradition, he caused the governor
to be hung out of one of the highest windows of the
castle. In 1688, Long Anthony 0' Carroll, one of the
O'Carrolls of Ely, and an active leader under Sarsfield,
took the place, and for a time made it the centre of his
operations, although the surrounding walls were bat-
tered down, the small towers almost levelled, and the
keep unroofed ; but after a time he abandoned it on the
approach of General Leveson, having burned the town
in his retreat, this being the second or third time
Kenagh was burned by the O'Carrolls.
This venerable keep, having survived the various
vicissitudes of war through so many centuries, appears
to have been threatened with destruction in a more
inglorious way, within comparatively late years. When
" Nenagh Bound" became a ruin, and was no longer
worth contending for, it was soon clothed with a rich
mantle of ivy, which naturally formed a stronghold
302 THE TOWN OF NENAGH.
for a numerous garrison of sparrows. About a cen-
tury since, one Soloman Newsome had his cabbage
garden and barley field in the vicinity of this tower,
whose huge bulk kept the sunshine from the one,
while the sparrows sallied forth from its ivy covering
to plunder the other. To put an end to this state of
things, Newsome at length determined on blowing up
Fitz Walter's old fortress, and for the purpose exploded
a barrel of gunpowder under it, making a large breach
in the walls. "Nenagh Bound" yet stands, how-
ever, while the humble Soloman Newsome, whose
territory was probably confined to his barley field and
cabbage garden, has long since followed the powerful
and haughty Fitz Walter to the bourn from which
"no traveller returns.'' How true are the words of
the poet
" Pallida mors sequo piilsat pede
Pauperum tabernas, regumque turres."
It has been stated that an hospital and a priory
were founded at Nenagh about the time the castle was
built there. As to these, we learn from Mr. Archdall
and the authorities he refers to, and from other
writers, as follows. About the beginning of the year
1200 an hospital was founded at Nenagh for Augus-
tinian Canons, who were constantly to admit the sick
and infirm. It was dedicated to St. John the Baptist,
and was usually called Teacheon (Tyone), or St. John's
House. Theobald Walter, the first Butler of Ireland,
endowed this hospital of which he was the founder,
with lands in Keremath and Louthunlauth, and in the
THE TOWN OP NENAGH. 303
townlands of Cloncurry, Lefrony, Balnath, and Beel-
derg, on the conditions, however, according to Mr.
Archdall, " that the said hospital should support beds
for the sick, to the number of at least thirteen, at
their proper cost and charge ; that each sick person
should have a daily allowance of a loaf and a suffi-
ciency from the cellar, with a dish of meat from the
kitchen ; that upon any increase of their revenue they
should at the same time enlarge the number of their
canons, so as to make a convent, and they were
allowed to choose their own prior, and to have fish-
ponds, pools, and mills on the said lands for them-
selves and their tenants."
Thady O'Meara was the last prior, and an inquisi-
tion taken " on the Monday next before the feast of
the Nativity," in the fifth year of King Edward VI.
(1552), finds " that the said Thady was seized of a
church, belfry, and cemetery, within the precincts of
the priory ; " also of a water mill and small tower, and
of several denominations of lands, including 140 acres
of arable, and 10 acres of pasture, in Ballynegrana-
naghe, that is Town of the ford of the sun. The
prior was also found to be seized of several rectories, .
" appropriated to him and his successors," including ^
the following : "Ballyvakre" (Ballymakey), " Kyllaw-
lenowane " (Cullenwaine, p. 224), " Templeneharry "
(Templeharry), "Dunkeryn" (Dunkerrin, p. 223),
" Ballincaslane " (Castletown), "Koskere" (Koscrea,
p. 128), and " Goynovyne " (Shinrone, p. 186).
The 28th of September, in the fifth year of Queen
304 THE TOWN OP NENAGH.
Elizabeth's reign (1563), this monastery, with its
appurtenances, and about 700 acres of land, with
several chief rents, and 16 rectories including those
already mentioned, were granted for ever to Oliver
Grace, by homage and fealty only, at the yearly rent
of thirty-nine pounds and tenpence ; and by an in-
quisition post-mortem held at Philipstown, the 23rd
of October 1626, this Oliver Grace was found to have
been seized of the before-mentioned rectories, with
their appurtenances, " all of which were parcel of the
lately dissolved monastery of St. John, near Nenagh,
in the County Tipperary."
A friary was founded at Nenagh for Conventual
Franciscans, in the reign of King Henry III., by one
of the Butler family, or, according to others, by one of
the O'Kennedys. This friary was supposed to be one
of the richest foundations of the Franciscan order in
this kingdom. In 1344, a provincial chapter was held
here; the Lord Thomas de Cantwell, "a great and
munificent benefactor to the friars of this house," was
interred herein 1352 ; and in 1354, Thomas O'Hogain,
Bishop of Killaloe, was also interred here. The
Annals of Nenagh, a valuable historical work, was
written here by one of the learned friars.
The 24th of December, in the 30th year of the reign
of Queen Elizabeth (1588), a lease of this abbey was
granted to Eobert Collum, for the term of fifty years,
at the rent, including other grants, of twenty-two
pounds, seventeen shillings, and eight pence, Irish
money.
THE TOWN OF NENAGH. . 305
In the Topographia Hibernica y Mr. Seward states
that near Nenagh, " Brien, son of Mahon Meneny
O'Brien, in 1370, obtained a complete victory over
his uncle Turlogh, assisted by the English forces under
the command of the Earl of Desmond, from which
battle he obtained the surname of Brien Catha an
Aonaig, or " Brien of the battle of Nenagh." The
same writer says that Nenagh was burnt by the Irish
on St. Stephen' s-day, in the year 1348.
Nenagh appears to have been a place of considerable
trade in the middle of the seventeenth century, for we
find issued there about that time, several of the trades-
men's tokens, described by Mr. Simon, and which have
been already referred to (p. 69). One of these Nenagh
coins has on it, "ROB . HVTCHINSON . OF . NENAGH.
CLEARK . 1658; " another is similar, except that it bears
date, " 1659 ; " a third coin is inscribed, " MAVRICE
THOMAS . OF . NENAGH . 1666 ; " and a fourth has
" JOSEPH . LVCAS . OF . NEAGHRVNE . MAR . 1668." It
will be remarked that the town is called " Neaghrune "
on this last mentioned coin.
It would be out of place to attempt describing
modern Nenagh here, the more particularly as it must
be well known to most of the readers. The names of
the principal inhabitants and traders of Nenagh, in
the year 1823, are given (No. 19) in the Appendix.
In taking leave of Ormond, after this glance at a
portion of it, a few remarks as to the use and disuse of
and Mac, in the names of many old Irish families
here, will be excused. It appears that in former
u
306 THE IRISH "MAC" AND "o."
times, when surnames came into use in Ireland, each
family or clan was at liberty to assume a surname
from some particular ancestor, and such name was
usually taken from one distinguished for valour,
wisdom, or some other great quality. In this way,
some prefixed Mac, which originally signified a son,
but in after times was applied to descendants of the
same ancestor ; while others prefixed 0, signifying
a__grandsQnj but afterwards applied to all descend-
ants. This use of and Mac, was at one time so
customary, as to suggest the old verse
" Per 0, atque Mac, veros cognoscis Hibernos
His duobus demptis, nullus hibernus adest."
Thus translated :
f" By Mac and 0, you '11 always know
True Irishmen, they say ;
But if they lack both and Mac,
No Irishmen are they."
It seems, however, that many old Irish families
were afterwards forced by English penal laws, either
|to assume English surnames, or at least to mutilate
their Irish names, and in this way many a Mac, and an
>, was dropped. These changes having been generally
made several centuries ago, it is at present matter of
taste, whether even those having an admitted right to
do so, should now again change their names by assum-
ing an 0, or a Mac. It does not appear, that the adding
of or Mac to his name in late years, can confer any
THE IRISH " MAC " AND " 0." 3UT
superiority, as regards Irish descent, on him who does
so ; and much less should the want of these, imply
inferiority in the many genuine and undoubted Irish-
men of ancient families, who their ancestors having
lost the or Mac in the way mentioned now prefer
to leave their names as they were transmitted to
them.
CHAPTEE XVIII.
THE MACCOGHLANS AND DEALBHNA EATHRA. THOMAS
COGHLAN, ESQ., "THE MAW." FROM BIER TO BANA-
GHER, INCLUDING THE " RIDGE, "AND "RAPEMILLS;"
BALLAGHANOHER, AND GARRYCASTLE. THE TOWN
OF BANAGHER.
ON the way from Birr to the neighbouring town of
Banagher, we pass the little bridge at Cappaneal, close
to Birr (p. 43). and enter the parish and barony of
Eglish in ancient Fearcall, the country of the O'Molloys,
this portion of which is separated from Lower Ormond
by the Little Brusna river, not far from here. This slip
of Fearcall is narrow, however, for after proceeding
through it a mile or so, to near the range of sand-
hills known here as " the Eidge," we pass into the
barony of Garrycastle, and at same time into ancient
Dealbhna Eathra, Delvin Eathra, or Delvin Ahra, the
country of MacCochlain or MacCoghlan, in the ancient
Meath. There were several Dealbhna or Delvins, districts
in Meath, of which Delvin Eathra, the territory of Mac-
Cochlain, comprised the greater portion of the present
barony of Garrycastle. This ancient territory was not,
however, of quite the same extent as the modern barony,
THE MAC COGHLANS AND DEALBHNA EATHRA. 309
for the parish of Lusmagh, now included in that barony,
did not form part of Delvin Eathra or MacCoghlan's
country, being portion of Siol Amncha, of which here-
after. The name Dealbhna is taken, according to
Mr. O'Donovan, from tribes of the Dalcassian race, who
derived the name from Dealbhaedh, the third son of
Cas, ancestor of the tribe O'Brian of North Munster.
The MacCoghlans were chiefs of much importance
in former times, and the head of the clan is styled by
an ancient poet, " MacCochlain na Caisleain Ghlegeal"
which is, "MacCoghlan of the Fair Castles." He is
thus alluded to by O'Dugan
"MacCoghlan is the valorous mainstay,
And prince of delightful Delvin Ahra."
The MacCoghlans are frequently mentioned in the
ancient annals, but it will be sufficient to refer here
to a few of the many notices of them by the Four
Masters, since the English invasion of Ireland. Thus
we have already seen (p. 228), that in 1175, " Giolla
Coluim O'Maolmuaidh (O'Molloy) lord of Ferkale,
was treacherously slain by Eoderick, son of Conor
MacCoghlan." In 1199, " Murchadh MacCoghlan,
lord of Delvin Eathra," died; in 1292, " MacCoghlan
lord of Delvin More," was slain by Sinn MacFeorais
(Bermingham),at the instigation of the Earl (of Ulster);
and in the year 1371, Fergal MacCoghlan died, while
imprisoned by O'Kennedy. It has been seen (p.163),
.that Edmond a Faihy, or Fahy, gained a battle in
Delvin in 1548, and brought the heads of the slain to
310 THE MAC COGHLANS AND DEALBHNA EATHRA.
Bally-mac-Adam (Cadamstown). The Four Masters
say that this battle, in which Cormac MacCoghlan and
his people were beaten, took place at Bel-atha-na-
geaorach, the ford of the sheep, on Dubh Abham, the
black river. This is a small river now called the
Blackwater, in the barony of Garrycastle, and about
two miles north of the Greater Brusna river. There
is much information as to the MacCoghlan and his
territory, to be found in the Annals of the Four Masters
under the dates of 1547 and 1548, and thereabouts,
and some of which will be noticed hereafter, in
connexion with particular places. These writers also
mention, that MacCoghlan, lord of Dealbhna Eathra,
"namely, John, the son of Art, son of Corinac," attended
Queen Elizabeth's Irish Parliament in Dublin, in 1585.
It has been seen, however, (p. 265), that notwithstand-
ing this, MacCoghlan, towards the close of the Irish
wars in this Queen's reign, joined the O'Connors,
O'Molloys, and O'Dunns, in the King's County, with
two hundred men against the Queen. The Four
Masters, at the year 1590, record the death of this
John MacCoghlan, and add that " there was not a man
of his estate, of the race of Cormac Cas, whose mansions,
castles, and good dwelling houses, were better arranged,
or more comfortable than his ; and his son, John Oge,
was appointed his successor." They also state, that at
the request of O'Neill (Earl of Tyrone), Eedmond
Burke, Anthony O'Moore and Capt. Tyrrell, proceeded
to the " northern end of the Slieve Bloom mountains
to get the Irish of Ormond and Westmeath to join
THOMAS COGHLAN, "THE MAW." 311
them in alliance, namely, O'Mulloy, and Conal the son
of Cahir; MacCoghlan, i.e. John Oge, the son of John,
son of Art, son of Cormac, and O'Carroll, namely,
Calvagh, the son of William Odhar, son of Ferganainm,
son of Maolroona;" and they add that "although
these chiefs had been for some time acting on behalf
of the sovereign, they were better pleased to receive
peace from those leaders who were traversing every
country." The foregoing affords an example of the
custom of the early Irish writers, to identify the par-
ticular person to whom they referred, by naming his
father, and perhaps a long line of ancestors.
The last descendant of this ancient sept, who was
in any position, appears to have been Thomas Coghlan,
or MacCoghlan, commonly known as "the Maw,"
who died about the year 1790, after having for many
years represented the King's County in the Irish
Parliament. The Chevalier Colonel de Montmorency
thus describes him: " Thomas Coghlan, Esq., or, in
attention to local phraseology, 'the Maw' (that is, Mac),
for he w r as not known or addressed in his own domain
by any other appellation was a remarkably handsome
man ; gallant, eccentric ; proud, satirical ; hospitable
in the extreme, and of expensive habits. In disdain
of modern times he adhered to the national customs of
Ireland, and the modes of living practised by his
ancestors. His house was ever open to strangers.
His tenants held their lands at will, and paid their rents,
according to the ancient fashion, partly in kind, and
the remainder in money. ' The Maw ' levied the fines
312 "THE RIDGE."
of mortmain when a vassal died. He became heir to
the defunct farmer ; and no law was admissible, or
practised, within the precincts of MacCoghlan's domain,
but such as savoured of the Brehon code. It must be
observed, however, that most commonly, 'the Maw's'
commands, enforced by the impressive application of
his horse- whip, instantly decided a litigated point !
From this brief outline, it might be supposed that we
were talking of Ireland early in the seventeenth century,
but Mr. Coghlan died not longer back than about the
year 1790. With him perished the rude grandeur of
his longdrawn line. He died without issue, and
destitute of any legitimate male representative to
inherit his name, although most of his followers were
of the sept of the Coghlans, none of whom, however,
were strictly qualified, or were suffered by 'the Maw'
to use the Mac, or to claim any relationship with him-
self. His great estate at his decease passed to the son of
his sister, the late Right Hon. Denis Bowes Daly, of
Daly's-town County of Galway, who likewise had no
children, and who, shortly before his death in 1821, sold
the MacCoghlan estate to divers persons." To judge
by this account of "the Maw," his astonishment and
indignation would be great indeed, could he revisit his
broad domain and witness the changes since made there,
and find the Justices of the various Petty Sessions
Courts now in his ancient territory, sitting under the
modern Petty Sessions Act.
Having referred so far to the ancient Dealbhna
Eathra and MacCoghlan, we return to "the Ridge,"
" THE HAPEMILLS." 313
near which this district is entered, on the way from
Birr to Banagher. The line of sand-hills from which
"the Eidge" is so called, is a very remarkable one.
It extends almost without interruption, from beyond
Philipstown to here, and thence through Lusmagh to
the river Shannon, and these sand-hills again appear in
the County Galway, on the opposite bank of the river.
This is not the place to discuss as to how or when this
line of sand-hills originated. It must, however, have
been from the action of water, and of course at a very
early period.
Not far beyond " the Eidge" is the place called
the "Eapemills," half way between Birr and Banagher,
and where, about forty years ago, a remarkable and
fatal event took place. At that time a fire-ball or
meteoric stone, somewhat similar to the one which
fell at Cloneen in 1827, (p. 243), descended upon the
mill from which this place derives its modern name,
and having broken through the roof, blew out the
windows, threw down the lofts, and killed Mr. Woods
the proprietor, who happened to be there at the time.
The neighbourhood of the " Eapemills " was also re-
markable for the appearance there, in the year 1830,
of white magpies birds very uncommon in Ireland.
It seems that even the common magpie was not
known in Ireland a century ago. It was called pianet,
and in Irish maggidipye. Even at the present day
magpies are numerous in this neighbourhood. A
small river sinks into the earth here in a very remark-
able way, rising again at a considerable distance.
314 BALLAGHAXOHER AND GARRYCASTLE.
This is worth inspection by those who take an interest
in such matters.
The road from Birr to Banagher here passes
through the celebrated townland of Ballaghanoher,
formerly Bel-atha-an-Fhothair, where, as mentioned
(p. 22), Eoghan O'Madden "the Lion of Birra,"
defeated the men of Ormond in a battle. The reader
will find more as to this O'Madden further on, in con-
nexion with Lusmagh. The Four Masters also
mention, at the year 1548, that "the lieutenant and
the English," marched into Delvin, and " burned and
plundered from Bealach-an-Fothair to Tochar, and
also the town of MacHuallachan in Lusmagh; they
remained encamped for a night at Ballynacloiche, and
returned home on the following day with prey and
booty, without battle or conflict." Sir Francis
Bryan, who erected the castle at Philipstown this
same year (p. 29), was " the lieutenant" here alluded
to. Tochar appears to have been in Lusmagh ;
Baile-Mic-TJallachain, "the town of MacHuallachan,"
now Ballymaccoolahan, was an ancient district also
in Lusmagh ; and Baile-na-Cloiche is at present
known there, as Coolclough and Ballynacloughe.
About half a mile from Banagher, at the Birr
side, are the remains of the castle called in former
times Garrdha-an-caislein, (Garrancashlane), that is,
" garden of the castle," from which the name Garry-
castle seems to have been formed and applied to the
barony. There is not much known as to the past
history of this castle, unless that it was one of the
THE TOWN OF BANAGHER. 315
principal strongholds of MacCoghlan. The Four
Masters call it Caislen-an-Fothair at the year 1517,
where they relate that " a great commotion " having
arisen between Maolroona O'Carroll and the people of
Delvin, "they and O'Melaghlin having invited the
Earl (of Kildare) to aid them, they destroyed the
castle of Fothair of Delvin, namely, the wall of the
castle." It appears from this that Ballaghanoher, or
13ealach-an-Fothair, then extended to this castle, and
that the castle must have been held at the time
by O'Carroll, with whom the Delvinians were in
contention.
The well-known town of Banagher which, accord-
ing to the adage, could " bang " even his sable majesty
heretofore, is placed on the side of a long hill sloping
down to the river Shannon which flows by the town.
Banagher is about six miles north-west from Birr, in
the parish of Eeynach or Eeynagh, and barony of
Garry castle. The old name of the town was Beandcor,
which seems to have originated from the hill on which
it stands, Beannchor meaning a pointed hill. There
are other derivations also given for the name Banagher.
It is called " Bannogh " on Mer cater* s Atlas, published
in 1623, and was likewise known, more lately, as
Fortfalkland. The parish derived its name from Saint
Eeynach, Eegnacia, or Eignacia, sister of Saint Finian,
who presided at Clonard and died in 563, having
founded here a religious establishment, of which she
was abbess. The ruins now on the site of this ancient
house, which was called Kill-Eignaighe, " the church
316 THE TOWN OF BANAGHER.
of Eignacia," are nearly in the centre of Banagher,
and are surrounded by the parish burial ground.
The church of Eignacia appears to have been subse-
quently presided over by Talacia, the mother of Saint
Finian, who was also abbess there. In the enclosure
surrounding these ruins, there was for many years the
shaft of an ancient stone cross, erected to commemorate
Bishop O'Duffy who was killed in the year 1297, by
a fall from his horse. It is strange, however, that
authorities differ as to the diocese of which he was
bishop, "Ware placing him amongst the bishops of
Clonmacnoise, while the Four Masters, at the year
1297, have, "William O'Duffy, bishop of Clonfert,
fell from his horse, of which fall he died." This very
interesting relic, on which the bishop is represented
on horseback, bearing his crozier in his hand, is now
at Clonmacnoise, and a full account of it will be found
in the Proceedings, of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society
for May 1853. '
The Four Masters relate that in the year 1539,
" after Mass on a Sunday, on the second of the Nones
of July,"FelimMacCoghlan,thesonof Myler, was slain
at Banagher, here called " Beandchor," by the sons
of Malachy Godh O'Madden. They also mention at
the year 1544, that "the castle of Banagher was
rebuilt by 0' Carroll, i.e., Teigh Caoch, in spite of the
opposition of the Clan Colman and the O'Maddens,
who were then in contention with each other." The
same writers add here, that "in a week after the
commencement of the rebuilding of Banagher,"
THE TOWN OF BANAGHER. 317
Malachy 0' Madden, "one of the two lords who
governed Siol Anmcha," was killed by Malachy Godh
O'Madden. It has been already mentioned that
Lusmagh, which will be more fully referred to, was
a portion of Siol Anmcha.
It does not clearly appear whether the castle called
Garrdha-an*caslein and Caislen-an-Fothair, and more
recently Garry castle, is the place also referred to at
the year 1544, as the " castle of Banagher." However
this be, the Four Masters again tell us at the year 1548,
that the castle of Banagher here called ^Binncor;"
the castle of Moystown, "Magh-Istean; " and " Clochan-
na-gceapach," were demolished, least they should be
taken by the English. This last mentioned place
appears to be Cloghan in Delvin, and not Cloghan
Castle in Lusmagh distinguished by the name
Cloghan O'Madden.
A market to be held in Banagher on Thursdays, was
granted about the year 1612, to Sir John MacCoghlan,
Knight, but the day was subsequently changed to
Monday, and the market is now held on Friday. By
charter of Charles I., Banagher was constituted
a corporate town in 1628, the corporation being styled
" the Sovereign, Burgesses and Free Commons of the
Borough and Town of Bannacher alias Bannagher,"
and being empowered to send two members to the
Irish Parliament. This corporation consisted of a
sovereign and twelve burgesses, with authority to
admit freemen, and appoint a recorder and other
officers. The charter also gave power to hold a court
318 THE TOWN OF BANAGHER.
having considerable jurisdiction, and appointed the
sovereign a justice of the peace, coroner, and clerk of
the market, within the borough. There was also
granted for the use of a schoolmaster in Banagher,
two hundred acres of arable land, with a quantity of
wood and moor, which had been granted two years
before for the schoolmaster of Birr (p. 46). In pur-
suance with this charter Banagher continued to send
two representatives to the Irish Parliament until the
Union, when the right to such representation ceased,
and neither have any of the corporate offices been
since filled up. In Pettifs Political Anatomy of
Ireland, published in 1672, and already referred to
(p. 71), the "borough of Banagher" is mentioned as
one of the places in the King's County, which then
returned two members to the Irish Parliament. Henry
L'Estrange and Eichard Trench, Esqrs., represented
the "borough of Banagher" in the year 1758.
During the civil wars of the 17th century, Banagher
was a position of importance. It has been seen (p. 62),
that when Birr Castle surrendered to General Preston
in January 1643, he advanced upon and took Banagher,
then called Fortfalkland. Dr. Warner, in his History,
of the Rebellion and Civil War in Ireland, describes
what then occurred there, as follows : "There being no
opposition made to Preston, he sat down before Fort-
falkland ; a place of strength enough to have held out
against him, longer than he could have staid in that
season of the year, and for want of provisions. But
though those within the place were numerous, yet
THE TOWN OF BA.NAGHER. 319
many of them were not serviceable ; and they were all
much discouraged, by a long and vain expectation of
succour from the Ministry, which had entirely
neglected them. It would have been impossible,
indeed, that they should have so long subsisted as
they had done, had it not been for the relief which
was sent them, from time to time, by Lord Clanricarde.
But as he was himself then surrounded with too many
difficulties to afford them a prospect of any succour,
and as Preston had granted an honourable capitulation
to the garrison at Birr, the besieged were inclined to
surrender to him, for fear of falling into worse hands.
Therefore the next day after he came up to Fortfalk-
land, before any battery was raised, Lord Castlesteward
the Governor capitulated ; and was to be conveyed
safe with all his people to the fort of Galway." And
again as to this occurrence, Dr. Warner continues :
" I have said that Lord Castlesteward had capitulated
to be conveyed with all his people to the fort of
Galway ; and Preston accordingly sent two companies
with them as a guard. But they were stopped by
Colonel Bourke, the Catholic Lieutenant General for
Connaught, who would not permit them to pass
according to the capitulation ; granting leave only to
his Lordship, and two or three servants ; and the
convoys with their charge, were obliged to return
back, and then to deliver them at the castle of
Athlone." This siege and surrender of Fortfalkland
are also mentioned in Playfair's Irish Peerage, under
the title " Castlesteward."
320 THE TOWN OF BANAGHER.
By Letters Patent, dated 20th of July in the 21st
year of the reign of Charles II., (about 1671),
there were granted to John Blysse, Esq., his heirs
and assigns for ever, " All the island called Eniskery
alias Island MacCoghlan, in the barony of Grarrycastle
and King's County, and also the two ruinous castles of
Banagher and Belanaley," with portions of several
denominations of land ; and also " liberty of fishing
in the river Shannon in the aforesaid barony and
county." There was then also granted, "a Ferry
over the river Shannon to pass from the town of
Banagher in the King's County, to the town and
lands of Meelick in the County Galway, and, within a
quarter of a mile of each side of the said river, to
receive and transport whatsoever men and other
things are there to be transported, for such and the
like fees and rewards, as heretofore were received ; to
keep on said Ferry one or more boats within the
limits aforesaid, and also the whole and entire Shannon
aforesaid, from the town of Banagher to the said town
of Meelick, and within the said space of a quarter of
a mile on each side of the river." At the annual rent
for the lands of 40s. sterling, and "for the aforesaid
ferry over the Shannon," of 5s. sterling.
It thus appears that this ferry was in use at
Banagher about the year 1671, and, as there is no
doubt from what follows, but there was a bridge there
in 1690, by which Sarsfield frequently passed during
the war, it seems the ferry was discontinued and the
old bridge was erected at Banagher, at some period
THE TOWN OF BANAGHEK. 321
between the years 1671 and 1690. The ferry stated
(p. 284), to have been heretofore over the river
Shannon near Portumna, continued in use, however,
to a much later period than the Banagher ferry, for it
was only in the year 1795, that an Act of Parliament
was passed reciting that the ferry over the river
Shannon near the town of Portumna, was attended
with much delay and inconvenience to travellers, and
that the building of a bridge there would greatly
tend to promote agriculture, and be of public utility.
This Act provided for the appointment of trustees to
receive subscriptions not exceeding 8000, to purchase
the rights of those concerned in the ferry, and to erect
a bridge, with liberty to take certain tolls, half of
which were to be remitted on fair days. From this
originated the well known wooden bridge heretofore
over the river Shannon near Portumna, and which
was succeeded by the present fine bridge there.
To return to Banagher. It appears from Harris's
Life of William ///., that when Sarsfield, about August
1690, attacked Birr Castle with an Irish army, Lieu-
tenant General Douglas, Major General Kirk, and Sir
John Lanier, advanced with a strong army to relieve
the place, drive Sarsfield beyond the river Shannon,
and break down the bridge of Banagher to prevent his
crossing over there again. In consequence of this
advance Sarsfield again retired beyond the Shannon,
but according to Mr. Harris, although the principal
object of General Douglas was to destroy the bridge
of Banagher, the attempt was found to be too hazardous,
322 THE TOW OF BANAGHER.
as the Irish were very strong on the Connaught bank
of the river, and the bridge was defended by a castle
and another work, which protected it on two sides.
This advance by General Douglas has been already
referred to (p. 84), in connexion with Birr. The
importance attached to Banagher, in a military point of
view, was owing, in a great measure, to the pass over
the river Shannon here by this old bridge, which
preceded the present elegant bridge there, and which
passage was frequently the subject of contention. This
old bridge on several occasions afforded a safe passage
to the brave Sarsfield either for advance or retreat.
The town and fort of Banagher were generally held
by the Irish, who at times marched thence to assail
the English garrison in Birr, by whom, as has been
seen (p. 87), they were occasionally attacked in turn.
A Masonic Lodge, No. 306, was founded in
Banagher about the middle of the last century. The
warrant, which is dated the 2nd of November 1758,
was granted by "the Eight Honourable the Earl of
Drogheda, Grand Master of the Lodges of Freemasons
in the Kingdom of Ireland, and the Worshipful John
Bury, Esquire, Deputy Grand Master," to " David
Thompson, Benjamin "Woods, and Eliazer Simmons,
to be Master and Wardens of a Lodge of Free and
Accepted Masons to be held by them and their successors
lawfully admitted in the said Lodge for ever." A
new warrant, with the same tfumber, was granted in
1820. A Eoyal Arch warrant and a Knight Templar's
warrant, were also held by the Banagher Lodge. The
THE TOWN OF BANAGHER. 323
original warrant, with the archives of the Lodge, are
in charge of Captain Carteret A. Armstrong, J.P., of
Mount Carteret, Banagher, pending the re-establish-
ment of the Lodge, which has been in abeyance for
some years.
There are several mural slabs referring to the
Armstrong family, in the part of the old church at
Banagher now used as the family vault. One of these
bears date October 1680, and according to the inscrip-
tion, marks the place where "lyeth the body of Grisell
Armstrong;" and on another is, "Armstrong 4 Brothers
1700." At the entrance of the vault there is a stone
with the family arms and motto, and an inscription
stating that this is the resting place of the Armstrongs
of Garrycastle and its Bal Iver branch. This old and
respectable family, so long and intimately connected
with Banagher, is of Scottish Border extraction, but
Thomas Armstrong, one of the family, having been
taken prisoner at the battle of Worcester, in September
1651, came to Ireland on his release, and settled at
Banagher. He was several times sovereign of that
town then considered a very honourable office and
he is said to have been a liberal contributor, about the
year 1686, towards the building or alteration of the
old bridge of Banagher.
The reader will excuse a short explanation as to
the use of the rather uncommon name Bigo or Bigoe,
by the Armstrong family, and by other respectable
families about Banagher. It has been seen (p. 41),
that the celebrated glass works formerly near Birr,
324 THE TOWN OF BANAGHER.
were carried on by Abraham Bigo for a few years from
1623. The family of Bigo were originally from
Lorraine. They were Huguenots, and having taken
refuge in England when their country was troubled,
they subsequently came to Ireland and settled in the
King's County. This family was said to have been
' allied to the Eoyal family of France, and appears to
have enjoyed there a monopoly in the manufacture of
glass, the knowledge of which art they turned to account
on coming to Ireland, where it seems not much was
known about it at the time. Thus, besides the Birr
works carried on by Abraham Bigo for awhile, Philip
Bigo, another of the family, subsequently in the reign
of Charles II., obtained grants of land at several
places, including Ballyneshragh, Carrowmore, "Fed-
dane," and Newtown, in Lusmagh, and according to
tradition, he also established glass-works in some of
these places, although no traces of such works have
been met with in recent years. This Philip Bigo was
HighSheriff of the King's County about 1662.andfrom
him are descended, on the female side, the Armstrongs
of Garrycastle, Buchanans of Ballycumber, and Eyres
of Eyrecourt Castle. It is not strange, therefore, to
find the name Bigo or Bigoe yet retained amongst
several respectable families in the neighbourhood.
The Armstrongs were also connected by marriage with
Thomas CoghlanEsq., "the Maw," already referred to,
and about the year 1760, some of the family were
settled in the house at Garrycastle, not far from the
ruins of MacCoghlan's old castle.
THE TOWN OF BANAGHER. 325
The Protestant Church at Banagher was erected
about the year 1829, at an expense of considerably
over 2000. It is a handsome building, in the old
English style of architecture, and, being placed on the
highest point of the hill over the town, the fine spire
is a conspicuous object for several miles around.
It is almost unnecessary to refer here to the well
known fair of Banagher, which, commencing on the
15th of September each year, continues for several
days, infusing new life into the old town. Yet, these
occasions are few and far between, and it is to be
regretted, that Banagher a town of importance so
long ago, when other places which are towns now were
unknown should have been suffered to decline so
much in late years.
To judge by appearances, however, this ancient
town is emerging from its decayed state, to rank
amongst other more favoured places. The fine new
distillery lately erected near Banagher, where a
distillery formerly stood, has already been of great
service to the town by causing an expenditure of nearly
one thousand pounds per month, during the several
months it was in course of erection. This undertaking,
carried on principally by the aid of English capital,
not only promises great additional advantages to
Banagher and the neighbourhood, but likewise affords
an example of English confidence in an Irish enterprise;
and proves how possible it is for men of each country,
to work together for the common advantage. The
Banagher distillery seems intended for the adoption
326 THE TOWN OF BANAGHER.
of the most recent improvements, to such an extent as
to place it in the front rank of similar undertakings,
where a large manufacture of a good article, at the
lowest cost of production, is of the greatest importance
to the proprietary, and indeed to the public. It is
calculated that the expense of erection, with plant and
machinery, will be 65,000, and that the distillery
will be capable of manufacturing about 600,000 proof
gallons of whiskey per annum. This of course will
afford great employment, not only in the distillery, but
likewise in the surrounding bogs where fuel is to be
procured.
The beautiful gothic tower and spire lately erected
to the Eoman Catholic Church of Banagher, at an
outlay of about 11 00, show what the people of this
hitherto neglected town can do. This tower and
spire, with the elegant cut stone entrance and windows,
and rich gilt cross surmounting all, would be ornamental
to any town, and are creditable alike to all concerned,
including the Eeverend Kieran Egan, the respected
Parish Priest, William Hague, Esq., the architect, and
the builder, Mr. Patrick Sheridan, of Birr.
The re-establishment in Cuba House near the town,
of the long celebrated Eoyal School founded in 1628,
as mentioned (p. 318), must likewise be a great advan-
tage to Banagher and surrounding country. This fine
mansion called Cuba House, which is such an ornament
to the neighbourhood, appears to have been originally
erected by one of the Eraser family, who had consider,
able property about Banagher heretofore.
THE TOWN OF BANAGHER. 327
When, with these and other good prospects, the
Branch Railway from Clara is completed to Banagher,
as intended ; and steamers in connexion with it, ply up
and down the noble Shannon flowing by which, let
us hope, will soon be kept within proper limits, and
not be allowed through neglect, to lay waste the adjoin-
ing lands Banagher will then, indeed, be on the way
to prosperity again.
The names of the principal inhabitants and traders
of Banagher, in the year 1823, will be found (No. 20)
in the Appendix.
CHAPTEE XIX.
MAC COGHLAN'S "FAIR CASTLES." CLOGHAN IN DELVIN.
CLONOONY CASTLE, AND THE TOMB OF THE BULLTNS.
THEIR CONNEXION WITH THE FAMILIES OF LESTRANGE,
ATKINSON, AND PARSONS. CASTLES OF MOTSTOWN,
FADDEN, &C. SHANNON HARBOUR. FERBANE.
GALLEN MONASTERY, AND THE ABBEYS OF GLINN,
KILLEGALLY, &C. LEMANAGHAN AND THE " SHRINE
OF ST. MANCHAN."
As already mentioned, we find Mac Coghlan, lord of
Delvin Eathra, alluded to by an ancient poet as
" Mac Coghlan of the Fair Castles," and we have
seen the Four Masters at the year 1590, in referring
to John Mac Coghlan that died that year, state,
" there was not a man of his estate, of the race of
Cormac Cas, whose mansions, castles, and good dwel-
ling-houses were better arranged, or more comfortable
than his." But even long before this, these writers
refer to "Mac Coghlan of the Castles," for at the
year 1249, in mentioning the death of Donogh
O'Gillpatrick who was killed by the English, they
have the following curious passage. " This Donogh
was one of the three Irishmen who committed the
CLOGHAN IX DELVIN. 329
greatest number of depredations on the English : and
these three were Conor O'Melaghlin, Conor Mac
Coghlan of the Castles, and the before mentioned
Donogh, who was in the habit of reconnoitring the
market towns (of the English), by visiting them in
the different characters of a beggar, a carpenter, a
turner, an artist, or a pedlar, as recorded in the
following verse :
" He is now a carpenter, or a turner,
Now a man of books or learned poet,
In good wines and hides, a dealer sometimes ;
Everything by turns as suits his purpose."
O'MeJgghlins^ who are frequently mentioned
in connexion with the Mac Coghlans, were called
kings, and often princes, of Meath, and their territory
came close to that of Mac Coghlan. These clans were
sometimes in alliance, and at other times in contention,
as in 1290 when, as the Four Masters tell us, " Carbry
O'Melaghlin, king of Meath, the most valiant young
warrior in Ireland in his time, was slain by Mac
Coghlan."
Many of Mac Coghlan' s celebrated castles and
strongholds, were in the country around Cloghan in
Delvin the present little town of Cloghan, about
seven miles north from Birr. This place was known
as Cloghan-na-gcaorach, that is, Cloghan, or the stony
place, "of the sheep," and the neighbourhood, parti-
cularly Cloghan Hill, is still celebrated for the rearing
of sheep. The Four Masters inform us that the
330 CLONOONY CASTLE.
castle here was one of those destroyed in 1548, least
it should be taken by the English. The ruins of the
ancient church, and the holy wells of Kilcamin, are
near Cloghan. This church was founded by St.
Camin, probably the same that founded the church of
Inis-celtre, or Holy Island, in Lough Deargh. The
ruins of Killowney Church are likewise near Cloghan,
on the road to Ferbane. Cloghan was heretofore,
even in comparatively late years, a place of much
more importance than it is at present. It was on the
high road from Dublin to Galway, and there was a
well-known inn there, called " The Coghlan's Arms,"
which was established in 1769. There was also a
manorial court presided over by a seneschal, held in
Cloghan.
The Castle of Clonoony, which deserves more than
a mere local interest, is about a mile west from
Cloghan, and eight miles north of Birr. This castle
is still in pretty good preservation, although probably
erected in the reign of Henry VIII., which began in
1509, as it appears to belong to that period. At all
events there was a castle here in 1519, for in that
year, according to the Four Masters, "A great contest
arose in Delvin between the tribe of Fergal Mac
Coghlan and the tribe of Donal, in which James Mac
Coghlan, prior of Gallen, and heir presumptive of
Delvin Eathra, was killed by the diot of a ball
from the Castle of Cluan Damhna." This, as Dr.
O'Donovan properly remarks, was the correct original
name of Clonoony. The name, therefore, shows that
CLONOONY CASTLE. 331
this place was in remote times the residence of the
heir apparent to the princes of the district, chain
signifying a plain or a retired place, and damkna a
person eligible to become successor to the prince,
which it seems the " prior of Gallen " was at the time
of this occurrence. The curious expression here
rendered in English, " shot of a ball," may be fre-
quently found in the Irish Annals for some years
after the introduction of fire-arms into Ireland in
1489, when the first muskets were brought to Dublin
from Germany. The expression appears to have been
used, to distinguish a bullet fired from a gun, from
any other kind of missile.
Clonoony is called " Cluain-Nona " by the Four
Masters at the year 1553, where they relate the fol-
lowing remarkable event, which then occurred there :
" After this a vindictive war arose between Mac
Coghlan and the descendants of Farrell and O'Molloy,
during which injuries not easily described were done
between them. During this war an astonishing exploit
was performed at Cluain-Nona, namely, a peasant of
the people of the town acted treacherously towards
the warders of the Castle, and slew three distinguished
men of them with a chopping-axe, tied a woman who
was within, and then took possession of the Castle ;
and this was a bold achievement for one churl ! "
Many skeletons, with coin of Queen Elizabeth near
them, and also several old swords have been found at
Clonoony, from which it seems probable some well-
fought actions took place there during that Queen's
332 TOMB OF THE BULLYNS.
reign. The following seems, however, to be the most
curious circumstance connected with this place. In
or about the year 1803 some labourers employed
raising stones for the building of the barracks or canal
locks near the Castle, discovered a kind of cave in the
limestone rock, within about a hundred yards of the
Castle. In this cave, at a depth of about twelve feet
under the surface, and beneath a heap of stones appa-
rently placed there for the purpose of concealment, was
found a large limestone flag, eight feet long by four
feet wide, and one foot thick. There then appeared
underneath the slab, as was said, a coffin cut in the
solid rock, containing the bones of two persons greatly
decayed. On this slab was an inscription then per-
fectly legible, and which was seen and copied by the
writer of this, many years afterwards. It appears the
slab is even yet there. The inscription is cut in alto
relievo on the lower end of the stone, as if reserving
the upper part for something else. The following is a
copy :
" Here under leys Elisabeth and
Mary Bullyn daughters of Thomas
Bullyn son of George Bullyn the
Son of George Bullyn Vicount <" I / r**< fl tfi
Eochford son of Sr Thomas Bullyn 5
Erie of Ormond and Willsheere." W ^-^^,^\
jkudk <
From this it appears that the ladies inferred here
were second cousins of Queen Elizabeth, and grand-
daughters of George Bullyn, cousin-merman of Anne / (
Bullyn, the unfortunate consort of Ijfenry VIII. It i#/-
THE BTJLLYN, LESTRANGE, AND ATKINSON FAMILIES. 333
is a curious subject, and worthy the* inquiries of the
antiquary to try and ascertain how these ladies came
to be interred in this obscure part of the King's
County, and to determine whether they came to this
neighbourhood living, or were removed there after
death. Perhaps their father might have been employed
here during the wars of his cousin Elizabeth's reign ;
but the most probable conjecture is, that different
persons of the name of Bullyn fled to Ireland to escape
the fury of King Henry YIIL, who, it seems, had the
whole family attainted. Thus the king at first com-
pelled the Earl of Ormond to resign his title in favour
of Thomas Bullyn, but the Earl re-assumed it after-
wards when the house of Bullyn was attainted.
In considering the question as to how these ladies
came to be interred here, it is interesting to find the
Bullyn family connected by marriage about this time
with the very respectable families of Lestrange and
Atkinson, both of which were then settled in the
King's County. The connexion appears to have
been as follows : Lieutenant Anthony Atkinson, of
the Island of Kiltubrid (the " Church of the Well,"
p. 236), married Mary, daughter of Thomas Bath,
Esq. This Anthony Atkinson, who must have died
previous to the 9th of October, 1626, as his will was
proved at that date, had, with other children, a son
William Atkinson of Cangort, who previous to 1638,
marriedTSjine, daughter of Bartholomew Peisley, Esq.,
of Puncherstown, in the County Kildare. William
Atkinson of Cangort, had a son Anthony, also of
334 THE BULLYNS, AND THE PARSONS FAMILY.
Cangort, who died in 1663 or 1664, his will being
dated in the first-mentioned, and proved in the latter
year. This last-mentioned Anthony married Anne,
daughter of Sir Eobert Newcomen, Bart., by
his wife Anna Bullyn, or Bullenj kinswoman of
Queen Elizabeth, and amongst several children
had a daughter Frances Peisley married to Thomas
L'Estrange, who, described as " Thomas, son of
Henry Lestrange, of Moyestown," obtained consi-
derable grants of land in Garrycastle barony. From
this alliance the name Peisley was frequently used
afterwards in the L'Estrange family. It thus appears
the Bullens were allied with the Atkinson's of Can-
gort, who are settled in the King's County since the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, and with the Lestranges
| of Moystown, which latter place is only a short dis-
tance from Clonoony where this tomb was discovered.
Colonels Lestrange and Atkinson who were then
the representatives of these two respectable old
families are referred to (p. 116), as being amongst
the magistrates who took a prominent part in a very
remarkable proceeding at Birr Quarter Sessions, in
October, 1828.
The Parsons family, since their settlement at Birr,
likewise became connected by marriage with the
Bullens. Thus, Sir Eobert Newcomen, above stated
to have married Anna Sullen, had a brother Sir
Beverley Newcomen, who was drowned at Passage,
near Waterford, on the 28th of April, 1637, and this
Sir Beverley left a daughter Catherine, who in the
MOYSTOWN CASTLE OF FADDEN. 335
following month of August was married to Kichard,
the eldest son of Sir William Parsons, Bart. Again,
Sir William Bullyn, K.B., of Blickling, Norfolkshire,
married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Butler,
seventh Earl of Ormond, and by her had several
children, including the Sir Thomas Bullyn, Earl of
Wiltshire and Ormond, named on the Clonoony slab ;
and also including Alice married to Sir Eobert Clere,
of Ormsby, whose descendant, John Clere of Kilburry's
daughter Mary was married the 28th of June, 1754,
to Sir William Parsons, of that period. Hence the
name Clere sometimes occurs in the Parsons family
since this alliance.
To return to Mac Coghlan's " Fair Castles." There
was likewise a castle of some importance heretofore
at Moystown, near Clonoony, for we learn from the
Four Masters that the castle of Magh-Istean, or Moys-
town, was one of those demolished in 1548 " least
they should be taken by the English." There was
also a Castle at Liscloony in this neighbourhood, as
to which the same writers tell us that in the year
1556, " the Castle of Lis-Cluaine, in Delvin, was com-
pleted by Malachy O'Dalachain on the festival of
Saint Mathew the Evangelist." The monument of
the O'Dalachain' s is in the old church at Pallas, in
the County Tipperary, about four miles from Birr.
The ruins of the Castle of Fadden, sometimes called
Fedan, are near Bellmount, about two miles north-
east from Clonoony, and about the same distance
north from Cloghan. This was likewise a very re-
336 TISARAN.
markable place in its time. The castle here was
erected probably towards the end of the reign of
Henry YIL, or the beginning of the reign of Henry
VIII., for the Four Masters record that in 1520,
" Torlogh, the son of Felim Mac Coghlan, lord of
Delvin Eathra, a man distinguished for wisdom and
learning, a man of prosperity and great riches, who
bnilt the castles of Feadan and of Cincoradh, died
after a well-spent life." The castle of Cincoradh, now
Kincor, will be referred to hereafter. The same
writers again inform us, that in the year 1540, "James
Oge, the son of the prior Mac Coghlan, was treacher-
ously beheaded by Ceadach O'Melaghlin, in his own
castle, i.e., Caislean-an-Fheadain, and great destruc-
tion befel the country on that account. Felim
O'Melaghlin brought the English and the treasurer
with him to Delvin; but, however, they could not
take the castle of Fedan, and they returned home after
having destroyed a great deal. Donal, the son of
Ferdorcha Mac Coghlan, chief of his own sept, died
before James Oge, the son of the prior, had been
slain." Sir William Brabazon was "the treasurer"
here alluded to.
Tisaran, in the neighbourhood with Clonoony,
Moystown, Liscloony, and Fadden, is also mentioned
in these annals. Thus it appears that in the year
1541, "Tessauran, both houses and churches was
burned and plundered exactly in Lent, by the sons of
O'Madden, namely Murrough, Breasal, and Cathal."
As an instance of the retaliative system of these days,
TISARAX. 337
wo learn from the same authority, that " Fclim
O'Melaghlin proceeded after that to Clonfert and
plundered and demolished the great church and monas-
tery at Clonfert." It is almost unnecessary to men-
tion, that Clonfert was in O'Madden's country, on the
opposite side of the river Shannon from Tisaran in
Mac Coghlan's territory. The contention thus begun
did not end here, however, for we are informed that
in 1542, the following year, "the sons of O'Maddon
marched with their forces to attack the castle of
Fedan ; they plundered and burned the town, and
slew Malachy O'Eaighne on that occasion ; the people
of the country pursued them to Tigh-Sarain (Tisaran),
but were, however, defeated, and Malachy, the son of
Edmond Mac Coghlan. David, the son of Fclim, son
of Donagh, and Torlogh the son of Fergal, son of
Conor, with many others, were slain on the 4th of
the Nones of October."
Again, the Four Masters inform us, that when
O'Melaghlin and Edmond a Faihi or Fahy, invaded
Delvin in 1548, " Edmond Fahy encamped before
the castle of Fedan for the space of eight days, and
Cormac Mac Coghlan, who was in the castle, was
compelled to give him hostages, after which he and
Edmond made a gossipship with each other." It
appears that Mac Coghlan must have been in hosti-
lities with the English for some time after this, as we
are again informed, that in 1551, "A great court was
hold in Athlone, and Mac Coghlan having repaired
thither, obtained his pardon, and a patent for his estate,
Y
338 SHANNON HAKBOUR.
\^ L < and Delvin Eathra was put under rent for the king."
^^Notwithstanding this, however, it seems that in 1554
" a great Boroimhe (cattle tribute), viz., three hun-
dred and forty cows, was allotted and levied on Delvin
Eathra by the Earl of Kildare, as an eraic (fine) for
(his foster-brother, Eobert Nugent, who was killed by
Art, the son of Cormac Mac Coghlan."
The castle of Fadden must have been again taken
from Mac Coghlan after this, for we find that in the
year 1557, " The castle of Fadden in Delvin Eathra,
was taken by a prisoner who was confined in it, and
he delivered it into the hands of Mac Coghlan, who
expelled the tribe of Fergal, and hanged the hostages
on Shrove-Monday, which happened to be the 1st of
March." At the same year we also learn that, "the
castle of Eacra was demolished by O'Melaghlin and
the English of Athlone ; and after that a commotion
arose between Mac Coghlan and O'Melaghlin." This
castle which was also called Eoughra, was not far
from the present Shannon Bridge, a place not very
remarkable for anything unless a good bridge there
over the river Shannon, from which the name is taken,
and some comparatively modern defensive works, to pre-
vent the passage of the river from the Connaught side.
It was probably at Shannon Harbour, some four or
five miles down the river, in the neighbourhood of
Moystown and Tisaran, that the hostile parties of the
O'Maddens on one side, and Mac Coghlans and
O'Melaghlins on the other, usually crossed the
Shannon. Thus we find Tisaran, where, in 1542, the
HARBOUR. 339
Mac Coghlans overtook the O'Maddenfl on their
return from Faclden, after having "plundered and
burned the town," is on the direct way from Fadden
to Shannon Harbour. In like manner Clonfcrt was
conveniently situate on the other side in 'Madden' s
country, for attack by a plundering party from Mao
Coghlan's territory, crossing the river here. The old
name of Shannon Harbour was Ath-Crochda, Ath-
Croichj_ or Ath-Croch, ath signifying a ford, and
crocliadh a hanging, grief, or vexation. This ford must
have been much used from an early to a comparatively
late period, by expeditions crossing the river Shannon
between Siol Anmcha on the Connaught side, and
Delvin on the other. Thus, we leam from the Four
Masters that in 12 G 6, " William Burke marched with
a force to attack O'Melaghliu ; and many of his men
were drowned at Ath-Crochda, and he was obliged to
return without succeeding or gaining hostages."
Again we are informed by the same writers, that in
1547, " O'Connor and O'Moore, after some of their
clans ^had gone for them to Ath-Croich, crossed the
Shannon, and collected a great force for the purpose
of taking revenge on the English, who deprived them
of their estates and properties, and they afterwards
passed into Leinster." There are several other refer-
ences to hostile parties having crossed the river here,
and even so late as the year 1601, when O'Neill, with
several other Irish chiefs and their army, " were
expeditiously conveyed across the Shannon at Ath-
Croch," as already mentioned (p. 1GO).
340 FERBANE, AND GALLEN MONASTERY.
There are likewise the ruins of several, once cele-
brated, abbeys and castles, in the neighbourhood of
the neat little town of Ferbane, about three miles
north-east of Cloghan. Ferbane is on the Greater
Brusna river in the ancient Dealbhna Eathra, and is
the property of John Gilbert King, Esq., D.L., whose
elegant seat at Ballylin is about a mile from the
town. Mr. King represented the King's County in
Parliament for a considerable time. The ruins of the
monastery of Gallen, which was also called Galinne
and Gailenga, are near Ferbane and the river Brusna,
within the beautiful demesne of Gallen Priory, the
seat of the Rev. Sir E. Armstrong, Bart. It is almost
unnecessary to mention that the late respected Sir
Andrew Armstrong, father of the present Baronet,
represented the King's County in Parliament for many
years. Mr. Archdall tells us, that Saint Canoe, or
Mocanoc, erected near the Brusna river, the "Monas-
tery of Galinne, in Delbhna M'Cochlain," about the
year 492, and that Felym M'Croimhain set the abbey
on fire in 820, and destroyed not only the dwellings,
but even the church and sanctuary. It appears, how-
ever, that some emigrants from "Wales afterwards
oi ifounded a celebrated school here, from which the
tf t\
place acquired its name, gall being Irish for an Eng-
lishman, or stranger. According to Mr. Archdall and
the authorities he refers to, this monastery was
" spoiled and nearly demolished," in the year 949,
and it was " again destroyed" in 1003. In 1519 it
met the same fate, while the spoilers visited it again
THE MONASTERY OF GALLKtf. .'Ul
in 1531. The Four Masters tell us, that in 1543,
Eoderick O'Mclaghlin and his kinsmen, " made n
noetunial attack on Moy Gallon, in Delvin, and burned
and plundered the plain. They were pursued by
Malachy Balbh O'Madden, and by Art Mac Coghlan,
who gave them battle at Gallen, in which Cormac
O'Melaghlin, the brother of Eoderick, together with
thirteen men of the chiefs of his people, were slain or
drowned on that occasion." They also inform us,
that when Edmond Fahy and O'Melaghlin invaded
Delvin in 1548, this monastery, and the castles of
Kinkora and Kilcoman were taken by them, but Mac
Coghlan soon afterwards retook the castles, and
expelled Edmond Fahy.
Mr. Archdall states, however, that "notwithstand-
ing almost innumerable misfortunes, this monastery
existed when Colgan, the Franciscan, wrote, at which
time it belonged to the Canons of Saint Augustin."
He also tells us, that " the site of this abbey, together
with the church, cemetery, &c., five cottages and two
gardens, in the town of Gallen," with several denomi-
nations of land, and a "moiety of the tithes and
alterages " of several rectories, including Reynagh
(Banagher), " parcel of the possession of this abbey
were granted, 4th June 1612, to Sir Ger. Moore,
at the annual rent of .3 12s. 2d., who was to main-
tain a horseman for ever on the same." By Inquisi-
tion post mortem taken at Birr, the 14th of October
1619, the then late Yiscount Moore of Drogheda, was
found to have been seized " of the lately dissolved
342 CASTLES OF KINCOR AND KILCOLGAN.
monastery or abbey of Canons of Gallon, and of the
site, circuit, ambit, and precincts of the same," with
a moiety of the rectories, &c., and the several denomi-
nations of land there mentioned.
The castle of Cincoradh or Kincora, now Kincor,
was also near Ferbane. It has been stated that this
castle was erected by Torlogh Mac Coghlan, who died
in 1520, and the Four Masters likewise tell us, that
in 1517, " O'Carroll, '.<?., Maolroona, committed great
depredations in Delvin, and he took and plundered
the castle of Cinncoradh." It was in retaliation for
this the Delvinians, the same year, destroyed the
castle of " Fothair of Delvin " (Garrycastle), as
mentioned (p. 315). We have already seen that the
castle of Kincora, and the monastery of Gallen, were
taken by Edmond Fahy in 1548, but were soon after-
wards retaken from him.
At Kilcolgan, also in this neighbourhood, are the
ruins of the fine baronial residence of the head of the
Mac Coghlans, in somewhat later and more civilized
times, than when their numerous fortified castles were
inhabited. This building appears to have been erected
about the 17th century. The name Kilcolgan, that
is, Colgan's Church, originated, according to Mr.
Archdall, from Saint Colgan having founded in the
year 580, an abbey here, " in the country of Dealbhna
M'Cochlain."
The abbey of Gleane or Glin, was on the river
Brusna, not far from the monastery of Gallen, at the
place still known as Glinn or Glynn. Mr. Archdall
THE ABBEYS OF GLIX AND KILLEGALLY. 343
tells us, that " Saint Dierinit "built au abbey here,
which then had the name of Glinnhufann, where his
festival is observed on the 8th of July ; " and that in
563, "St. Comgan, whose mother's name was Ethnea,
succeeded St. Diermit, and died in a respectable old
age on the 27th of February this year." St. Mur-
genius, the abbot, died on the 27th of January, but
the year is uncertain ; Moelmoedoc, a learned scribe of
"Gleannusen," died in 915; and in 1016, Coemcomrac,
a professor in this abbey, died. In 1041, the abbey
was " plundered ; " in 1077, it was " destroyed by
fire ; " and in 1082, died Conchouran, a professor in
this abbey.
Killegally is near Glinn, and as to it we learn from
Mr. Archdall that St. Trena, Trcnan or Trien, about
the end of the fifth, or beginning of the sixth century,
was abbot of Killelga or Kilalga in the territory and
diocese of Meath. The ruins of several other abbeys
and castles, of less importance, are yet to be seen in
this neighbourhood.
About three miles from Ferbane, on the road to
Ballycumber, is Lemanaghaii, once a very celebrated
place, and where are still the ruins of a monastery
and of a castle. As to this monastery, Mr. Archdall
informs us, that it was " so called in the map of the
diocese of Meath, in possession of the bishop, but Sir
William Petty gives it the name Levanaghane." Mr.
Archdall also states, that in the year 661, " St.
Manchan of this monastery died of the plague," and
that we find another St. Manchan of Loth, who lived
344 LEMANAGHAN, AND THE SHKINE OF ST. MANCHAN.
after this year. The latter was at St. Adamnan's
Synod in the^year 695. We likewise learn from Mr.
Archdall, that " Gillebrenyn O'Kocholly, abbot of
Leithmanchan," died in 1205, and he adds, that when
he, Mr, Archdall, wrote (1786), " Its ruins may yet,
though distantly, be seen, being surrounded by a bog
at present impassable.'' Mr. Seward, in his Topo-
graphies Ilibernica^ written about the same time,
describes the situation of this place in just the same
way. The public road now passes close by the ruins
at Lemanaghan, Avhich were thus described between
eighty and ninety years since, as then surrounded by an
impassable bog. This place has given the name to the
parish.
The very curious and celebrated shrine of St.
Manchan, was for many years preserved on the altar,
in the Eoman Catholic Church in that parish. It was
said to contain the relics of the saint. His friend, the
late George Petrie, the learned antiquary, informed
the writer of this work, that he had opened this shrine
several years before, at Doon, in the neighbourhood,
then the residence of Mr. Mooney, and that it con-
tained some black earth and an old chalice. The
shrine is of a cruciform shape, made of yew, except
the base, which is of a different timber. It was origi-
nally covered with silver, and most elaborately orna-
mented with crosses and bronze figures. It would be
impossible to fully describe here this very interesting
shrine, which was constructed probably in the eighth
or ninth century.
CHAPTEE XX.
LUSMAGH, PART OF ANCIENT SIOL ANMCHA. O'HUALLACHAIN
AND O'MADAGAIN, CHIEFS OF SIOL ANMCHA. EOGHAN
O'MADDEN, THE " LION OF BIRRA." CLOOHAX
CASTLE, FORMERLY " CLOGHAN O'MADDEN." THE
O'MOORES OR MOORES.
THE name Lusmagh, seems to signify "the plain of
herbs." The modern parish of that name, extends in
a south-west direction from about half a mile of
13anagher, to within something over a mile of Birr,
and is bounded on the. south by the Little Brusna
river, which separates it from Lower Ormond in the
County Tippcrary. This ancient territory was here-
tofore a portion of Siol Anmcha or Anmchadha,
Latinized to Silancia, which comprised the present
barony of Longford, in the County Galway, with
the present parish of Lusmagh, now part of the King's
County. The district took its name from Anmchadli,
one of the ancient chiefs. Although at the opposite
side of the river Shannon from the present County
Galway, Lusmagh was included in that county as
originally formed, and appears to have so continued,
as will be seen by what follows, at all events up to
346 O'HUALLACHAIN, NOW CUOLAHAN.
the middle of the seventeenth century. I3y Inquisition
taken at Gal way on the llth of August in the year
1607, it appears the County Gal way then extended to
the east side of the river Shannon, and was there
bounded on the south by the "Biver of Brosnagh,"
the present Little Brusna river, which separates Lus-
magh from Lower Ormond on the south. For this
reason, although the diocese of Killaloe joins Lusmagh
on the south, and the diocese of Meath joins it on the
north, Lusmagh still remains a portion of the diocese
of Clonfert, in the County Galway on the opposite
side of the river Shannon, to which it originally be-
longed.
O'Huallachaiu, Mac Uallachain, or O'Hoolaghan,
afterwards Mac Coulaghan, or O'Coulaghan, and now
Cuolahan. appears to have been chief of Siol Anmcha,
of course including Lusmagh, in the early times.
O'Dugan thus refers to him :
" A noble chief of lasting fame
Eules over the plain of the race of Anmcha,
A valiant rough-fettering warrior,
Of keen-edged weapons, is O'Hoolahan."
There are several notices of Mac Uallachain in the
Irish annals, previous to the English invasion ; and,
at least once, he is called, " King of Siol Anmchadha."
Since the English invasion, however, the O'Hoolaghans
appear to have lost their rank as chieftains, and there
is little reference to them in the annals ; while in still
later years the family are found almost entirely on the
o'lIUALLACHAlN, KOW CUOLAHAtf. 347
east side of the river Shannon. The Four Masters
at the year 1182, record the death of "Donal
O'Huallachain, Archbishop of Minister."
An Inquisition taken before Sir Charles Coote at
Kilconnell, the 26th of September 1617, found that
"Brian M'Cooleghan is seized of fee, of Bally-mac-
Couligan, and that Hugh M'Cooligan is seized of
Cogrune; " and this Inquisition also found that several
others of the family held lands in the neighbourhood.
Another Inquisition, which was taken at Philipstown
the 13th of March 1637, found that the then late
Queen Elizabeth was seized in right of her Crown of
part of " Bally viccollaghan," the land of Melaghlin
Duffe M'Donnogh M'Coullaghan " slain in rebellion,"
and also of one quarter of land called " le quarter de
Cogranc" likewise in Bally viccollaghan, part of the
possession of John M'Coullaghan, also " slain in
rebellion." This Inquisition states, that these lands
were then, 1637, part of the County Galway. Dr.
'Donovan gives the descent of the family down to
their progenitor Uallachan, the 15th from Maine Mor ;
and he again continues it from Carroll Mac Cuolahan,
who lived towards the end of the sixteenth century,
to the late Henry Cuolahan of Cogran, who, accord-
ing to Dr. O'Donovan, was head of the name. Since
Mr. Henry Cuolahan's death, his brother, Mr. Bigoe
Armstrong Cuolahan of Cogran, should therefore be
the chief representative of this ancient family.
O'Mudagain, or O'Madadhain, anglicised to
O'Madden, appears to have been chief of Siol Anni-
348 " THE LIO& Oi 1 BIRRA.'*
chadhu at a later period than O'Hoolaghan. The
O'Madagain's were of the race of Clan Colla, and
took the name from Madudan More, one of their
ancient chiefs. There are many of this sept referred
to in the annals, from which we will give a few ex-
tracts. Thus, in the year 1201, according to the
Four Masters, " Murrogh 0' Madden, chief of the
half of Siol Anmchadha, received a wound in his head
from an arrow, of which he died ; " and in 1235,
"Madden O'Madden, lord of Siol Anmchadha," died.
In 1336, Eoghan O'Madden "defeated the clanKickard
Burke, and many of their people were slain, viz.,
sixty-six in number." This Eoghan O'Madden, who
was 19th in descent from Eoghan Buac, appears to have
beerfone of the most remarkable of the O'Maddens.
The name Eoghan is Latinized Eugenius, and in English
is Owen. Eoghan O'Madden was chief of Siol Anmcha
twenty years, and the Four Masters at the year 1347,
record that " Owen O'Madden, chief of Siol Anmcha,
died, and was succeeded in the chieftaincy of Siol
Anmcha by his son Murrogh." The Annals of Clon-
macnoise have his death at the year 1346. This is
the " Lion of Birra," who, according to a poem written
by an ancient poet in his lifetime, and addressed to
himself, defeated the men of Ormond in battles fought
at Ballaghanoher (p. 314), in Lusmagh, and at Lorrah.
This poem gives the pedigree from Eoghan Buac to
Madugan, and pompously described the Eoghan who
died in 1347, as "a man with the courage of a true
lion, the Lion of Birra, with the venom of the serpent,
O'MADAGAIN, OR O'MADDEX. 349
the Hawk of the Shannon, a tower which defends the
frontiers, a Griffin of the race of Conn of the Hundred
Battles, a large man of slender body, with a skin like
the blossom of the apple trees, with brown eyebrows,
black curling hair, long fingers, and a cheek like the
cherries.'' The poet also compliments Mac "William's
daughter, " of the fair hand and curling tresses," the
noblest woman he had seen in his time. She seems
to have been O'Madden's wife.
The Four Masters tell us, that Murrogh O'Madden
(son of Eoghan), "lord of Siol Anmcha, the most
provident man in his own territory, and of the most
valiant hand and best government," died in the year
1451 ; and, in 1479, " The monastery of Meelick was
founded by O'Madden, on the banks of the Shannon,
in the diocese of Clonfert, for Franciscan Friars, in
which he selected his own burial place." In 1556,
" O'Madden, i.e. John the son of Breasal, lord of Siol
Anmcha, was slain by Breasal Duv O'Madden, and
two lords were appointed over Siol Anmcha, namely,
Breasal Duv and Malachy Modardha." In the year
15G6, " O'Madden, i.e., Malachy Modardha, the son of
Malachy, son of Breasal, died; he was learned in
Latin and Irish, and the most inoifensive of the chiefs
of Ireland in his time, the defender of his land and
territory against the invasion of neighbours, the pillar
of protection of women, of the poor, of the weak and
destitute ; and he was succeeded by Donal, the son of
John O'Madden." In the year 1585, this Donal
O'Madden attended Queen Elizabeth's Irish Parlia-
350 CLOGHAX CASTLE.
ment. The Four Masters also tell us, that in 1595, a
great commotion arose, in which the O'Maddens were
engaged, and " Meelick of O'Madden" was taken and
demolished, and " Clonfert of St. Brendan" was
plundered and spoiled, Stephen Kerovan or Kirwin,
the bishop, being taken prisoner. Amongst those
then engaged, was " Owen Du^, the son of Malachy
Balv O'Madden, from the district of Lusmagh."
Cloghan Castle in Lusmagh, was heretofore a strong-
hold of O'Madden's. It is about three miles south
from Banagher, situate partly between the Shannon
and Little Brusna rivers, and is the property of Major
Grogan Graves, of the 82nd Eegiment. This is one
of the oldest^ inhabited castles, in, Ireland, and is said
to have been erected about the time of King John.
It was generally called " Cloghan O'Madden," although
it is named "Poghan" on Sir William Petty's maps.
The following extract given in the Appendix to Tribes
of Hymanie, from the MS. journal of Sir William
Russell, Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1595, which is
now in the British Museum, shows the importance
attached to this castle nearly 300 years ago, and gives
some idea of the rough and fierce manners of those
now long passed times. It is also curious as a
specimen of the diction and spelling of the period.
The transaction referred to appears to have taken
place about the same time as the taking of Meelick,
&c., above mentioned.
" Thursdaie, 11 March 159f. From Rathingelduld
my Lord rode to Cloghan, O'Madden's castle in
CLOGHAN CASTLE. P>51
Losmage before which hee encamped, in cominge to
which we passed through a straight pace (pass) of 4
miles in length. 0' Madden himself beinge gone out
in action of rebellion, and had left a ward of his
principal men in his Castle whoe assoone as they per-
ceaved my Lord to approach neare, they sett three of
their houses on fire, which were adioyneinge to the
Castle, and made shott at vs out of the Castle, which
hurt two of our suldiers and a boye. And beinge
sent to by my Lord to yield vpp the Castle to the
Queene, their answere was to Capten Tho. Lea, that
if all that came in his Lordship's Companie were
Deputies, they would not yield, but said they would
trust to the strength of their Castle, and hoped by to
morrowe that time that the Deputie and his Companie
should stand in as great feare, as they then were, in tf
expectinge, as it should seeme, some ayde to releive \r\\ '
them. That night my Lord appointed Capten Izod-
to keepe a sure watch aboute the said Castle, for that
a mayne bog was adioyneinge therevnto, and appointed
the Kearnei with certain soldiers to watch theire, least
they should make an attempt to escape that way.
About midnight my L. visited the watch and vnder-
standinge of some women to be within the Castle, sent
to them againe, advised them to put forth their women,
for that hee intended the next morninge to assault the
Castle with fire and sword, but they refused soe to
doe, and would not suffer their women to come forth.
" Fridai 12. My L. continued before the Castle,
and as preparation was makinge for fire workes to fire
352 CLOGHAN CASTLE.
the Castle, one in Sir "Win. Clarke's companie beinge
nere the Castle, by making tryall cast vpp a fire brand
to the topp of the roufe which was covered with
thatch and presentlie tooke fire, and burned the roufe
which greatlie dismaide them, wherevpon the alarum
was stroocke vpp, and whilst our shott plaid at their
spike holes, a fire was made to the grate and doore
which smothered many of them, and with all the
souldiers made a breach in the wall and entered the
Castle, and took manie of them alive, most of which
were cast over the walles and soe executed. And soe
the whole number which were burnd and kild in the
Castle were fortie sixe persons, besides two women
and a boye which were saved by my Lords appoint-
ment."
Appended to this account of the capture of "Cloghan
O'Madden," is a list containing "the names of such
cheife men as were kilde in the Castle of Cloghan
O'Madden at ye winninge thereof." Most of those
named in this list appear to have been of the O'Madden
family, but there is also in it, "Melaghlin Duffe
M'Coleghan of Ballymacoleghan, gent. ; Captain of
shott, and his two sonness." This appears to be the
person whose property was disposed of in 1637, just
43 years afterwards, pursuant to an inquisition (p. 347),
which found that he had been " slain in rebellion."
Here is a fair example of the manner in which pro-
perty changed owners in Ireland heretofore.
The journal from which this account of the capture
of O'Madden's castle is taken, cannot, it is true, be
THE O'MOORES, OR MOORKS. 353
received as an impartial authority as to the particulars,
although it is sufficient to show, that something of the
kind then occurred there. There is no doubt but the
place was attacked more than once, and as some con-
firmation of history, it may be mentioned, that when
excavations were being made in front of the castle,
some years since, several male human skeletons, having
the appearance of being there a long time, were dug
up. Some cannon shot were found there at the same
time, and inside the castle, the bones of a human hand
in a fine state of preservation, have been found covered
in the plaster, which was being removed from an
inner wall.
In the reign of Charles II., Cloghan Castle, there
called " Cloghane-castle," and part of Ballymac-
Coolahan, called "Bally-M'Modlaghan," with several
other lands, were granted to Garrett Moore, and in
this grant also, Lusmagh is stated to be in the County
Galway. There having been reference more than once
in this work to the O'Moore or Moore family, a few ob-
servations concerning them will be excused. This family
claimed to be descended from Rory Oge O'More, or
O'Morth, the warlike Dynast of the ancient Leix. It is
true, the grant of Cloghan Castle was to Garrett Moore,
and not O'Moore, although some of the family after-
wards used the " ; " but, however it may be as to
Irish descent, there is no doubt but the family is old
and respectable. The branch which settled at Cloghan
Castle, was, more than once, united by marriage with
the noble house of D'Burgh. On the last occasion
z
354 THE O'MOORES, OR MOORES.
Colonel Garrett Mooro of Ball Bries, in the County
Mayo, and Cloghan Castle in the King's County,
married Margaret D'Burgh, daughter of the sixth
Earl of Clanrikard, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter
of Walter, Earl of Ormond. The family was thus
likewise allied to the noble descendants of Theobald
Fitzwalter, the first Butler of Ireland, to whom Ely
0' Carroll including Birr, and Ormond, were granted,
as already mentioned (pp. 20 and 296).
The late respected Hubert Butler Moore, of Shannon
Grove, in the County Galway, was representative of a
younger branch of the Cloghan Castle family. His
mother was Maria, Lady Dunboyne, widow of the
twelfth Baron Dunboyne. Colonel O'Moore, who
commanded the Clanrikard Chasseurs, at the review
of the Volunteer Corps at Birr in 1784 (p. 93), was
uncle to the late Mr. Moore, whose father was adjutant
in that gallant and patriotic corps. The burial place
of the family is at Meelick, on the bank of the river
Shannon opposite Lusmagh, where, as already men-
tioned, 0' Madden, dynast of Silancia, founded a
monastery. At the vault of the O'Moore or Moore
family here, there is a slab with a Latin inscription,
which in English is, "Here lies Sir John More my
grandfather who died in the month of May 1631. Also
here lies Dame Margaret More otherwise De Burgo
my wife who died in the month of February 1671
daughter of Eichard Earl of Clanricarde in whose
memory I Garrett More Colonel in the king's army
and faithful to the last have caused to be constructed
THE O'MOOKKS, OK MOOIU-X 355
tins Tomb in which others of my family are also in-
terred." It is almost unnecessary to mention, that
this was the Colonel Garrett Moore, or More, of
Cloghau Castle, who has been already referred to.
This castle appears to have been generally held for
the Irish, during the civil wars of the 17th century,
and there seems to have been more than one conflict
during these troubled times, between its defenders
and the English garrison at Birr. On one occasion,
after the battle of Aughrim, as mentioned (p. 87), the
troops from Birr took possession of the fort of Banagher,
and of Cloghan Castle ; and a garrison, imder the
command of Lieutenant Archibald Armstrong, was
then left in the latter place.
CHAPTEK XXI.
CLONMACNOISE, AND SAINT KIERAN " THE YOUNGER."
THE BISHOPS AND LEARNED MEN OF CLONMACNOISE J
AND REMARKABLE EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE
PLACE. ITS ROUND TOWERS AND ECCLESIASTICAL
BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE " CHURCH OF THE NUNS."
DERVORGAIL; THE ENGLISH INVASION; AND THE
u SONG OF O'RUARK." CONCLUSION.
THIS celebrated place is about seventeen miles north
from Birr, nine or ten miles north from Banagher,
and about six or seven miles south of Athlone. Access
to Clonmacnoise, is easy by road from the former,
and by road or the river Shannon, from either of the
last named towns. It is almost unnecessary to men-
tion, that Clonmacnoise is now in the barony of
Garry castle, and King's County, but, it was not in-
cluded in that barony, or even in the King's County,
until a comparatively recent date.
The ecclesiastical and other antiquarian remains at
Clonmacnoise, or, as it is popularly but erroneously
called, " the Seven Churches," are situate in a beau-
tiful and romantic position, on high ground sloping
up from the the river Shannon, which runs close by.
CLONMACfrOISE. 357
To the thoughtful observer, these ruins present a
subject well calculated to inspire feelings replete with
awe, and profound veneration. Here the venerable
" Eound Towers of other days ; " the magnificent
stone crosses, fit and lasting emblems of man's salva-
tion; the litchen painted ruins of walls, which once
resounded with praises of the Almighty; and the
surrounding graveyard, studded with memorials of
kings, prelates, and learned men, long since called
from this transitory world, and whose ashes now
mingle in the sod beneath one's feet all these
remind the visitor, that here he treads upon no
ordinary soil. Those who have not seen Clonmacnoisc
already, cannot fail to be well repaid for the trouble
of a visit ; while he who has been often there, must
still admit, that the more frequently he sees it, so
does his admiration increase for this venerable place.
At different times heretofore, Clonmacnoise was
known by several other names. Thus, at one time
it was called Druim Tipraid, which according to some
writers signifies, "the hill in the centre;" while
others say it means, " the hill of Tipraid." The king
of Connaught in the year 779, was named Tipraid,
and there was also a prince of Hy Fiachra of that
name ; while the abbot of Clonmacnoise in the year
927, was likewise named Tipraide. This place was
also known by the appellations, Cinani, Cluaiia, and
Clonensis. It was likewise called Dunkeraneusis,
meaning " the enclosed place of Kiaran ; " as also
Letherean, and Killoon or " church of the graves."
o58 CLONMACKOISt:.
It was also known as Artibra, meaning " of the wells,"
of which there are two here, the one dedicated to St.
Kiaran, the other to St. Fineen.
In later times, however, the place has been generally
known as Clonmacnoise, the meaning of which is
variously explained. Mr. Seward says it signifies,
"the retirement or resting place of the sons of the
chiefs, on account of its being the cemetery or burying
place of a number of the ancient Irish Christian
kings." It also appears from Ware's Bishops, that
Clonmacnoise rural Deanery, was more recently still,
known by the name Ballyloughgort.
In the ecclesiastical divisions of the country, Clon-
macnoise was a diocese in itself until the year 1568,
Avhen it became united to the diocese of Meath. On
the division of ancient Meath afterwards, into Meath
and "Westmeath, Clonmacnoise was included in the
part comprising Westmeath ; and it so continued
until the year 1688, when, as we are informed,
" Clonmacnoise and 3000 acres of land, by the
management and procurement of Mr. Thomas Coghlan,
through the favour of Dr. Anthony Martin, Bishop of
Meath, were taken from the barony of Clonlonan in
"Westmeath, and annexed to the barony of Garrycastle
in the King's County."
St. Kieran, son of Bcetius and Dasercha, was called
" the younger," to distinguish him from St. Kieran
of Saiger ; and he was also named Macantsaoir, from
being the son of a carpenter. He was born in the year
516, and Dermid Mac Gervail, Monarch of Ireland,
359
having granted to him ( lonmacnoise and the island of
All Saints, together with one hundred churches in
Meath, St. Kieran afterwards transferred the church
of Clonard to his master St. Finian. and the island to
St. Domnan ; and in 548, he founded at Clonmacnoise
a monastery which afterwards became celebrated, and
the first stone of which, as Lanigan tells us, was laid
by Dermid's own hands, at the Saint's request. It is
very remarkable to find several persons named Mac
Entire, in the neighbourhood of Clonmacnoise, even
in modern times.
St. Kieran died on the 9th of September in the
year 549, and according to the Four Masters^ was
buried in the " Little Church," at Clonmacnoise. He
was succeeded at Clonmacnoise by St. Tigcmach, who
in turn was succeeded by the abbot Oedhlugh, Avho
died in 551.
It would be almost impossible to give here all the
circumstances on record concerning Clonmacnoise,
after the death of its founder. Even could this be
done, it would tire, rather than instruct or amuse,
the general reader, to repeat in full what we Icam of
alternate endowments and rapine ; building, and
destruction by fire and sword ; with sacrileges, fol-
lowed at times, by atonement. Then we have the
names of at least one hundred bishops, abbots, and
learned men, belonging to this abbey ; with the dates
of their deaths, and in many instances, other particulars
concerning them. Thus, there were about thirty
bishops of Clonmacnoisc Diocese, merely from the
360 CLONMACNOISE.
English invasion to the Keformation, whose names
are given us. From all this, the following informa-
tion is selected, as being sufficient to give our readers
a fair idea of the early history of Clonmacnoise, and
of its importance and magnificence, with the changes
of fortune it was forced to undergo :
A.D. 569. Died the abbot St. Oen. His slab is
yet, after the lapse of thirteen centuries, to be seen at
Clonmacnoise.
609. Aid, prince of Orgial, died here in pilgrimage.
642. Dermot M'Hugh Slaney, king of Meath,
granted to this abbey in honour of God and St.
Kieran, the lands of Lyavanchan, to hold rent free
for ever.
663. Several abbots, with a great part of the clergy
at Clonmacnoise, died of the plague during this and
the two following years.
719. Clonmacnoise suffered much from fire this
year, as also in March 751, and again in the years
773 and 811.
738. The battle of Athsenaith near Clonmacnoise,
took place.
759. The abbot Eonan died. There is a slab at
Clonmacnoise yet, which is probably his.
791. On the 20th of February this year, died St.
Colchuo, surnamed " The Wise." He was supreme
moderator, and master of the celebrated school of this
abbey, and he was also " master of all the Scots of
Ireland."
830. Felym M'Criomthin, king of Cashel, made a
CLONMACNOISE. 361
great slaughter of the clergy of this abbey, and
destroyed by fire all Clonmacnoise, even to the door
of the church.
834. This abbey was plundered by the Danes, who
again spoiled, and partly burned it, in the year 839.
840. Felym M'Criomthin, already mentioned, held
a great convention here, at which were present the
princes and the principal men of Ireland ; when Niall
Caille, son of the monarch of Ireland, submitted and
did homage to Felym.
841. Clonmacnoise was again plundered, and the
year following the Danes destroyed by fire the
churches and religious houses there ; and again in 845,
under command of Turgesius, they burned the place.
846. Felym, king of Cashel, again plundered the
" tearmon lands and houses of St. Kieran," but the
abbot laid on him his malediction and prayed that his
reign might speedily end ; the prayer prevailed, as we
are told ; for king Felym retired from the world the
following year, underwent a severe penance for his
sacrilegious crimes, and died towards the close of the
year, his end being truly exemplary.
867. Died Martin, a scribe of this abbey. His
tombstone is at Clonmacnoise yet.
885. The Four Masters relate that this year, a male
child only two months old spoke at Craebh-Lairc, (now
Creevagh near Clonmacnoise) } and said, " Good God."
891. The abbot Elathmac died. His tombstone is
at Clonmacnoise yet, and is curious in having on it,
emblems borrowed from the pagans.
362 CLONMACtfOISE.
899. Died the abbot St. Corpreus Crom, or "the
bent." He was called the head of the religions of
almost all the Irish of his time.
901. This year Flan, king of Meath, and the abbot
Colman M'Aillealla, founded a church here, called the
" church of the kings."
918. A great flood reached the causeway of the
monument of the three crosses.
924. On the 7th of February, the sage doctor, and
abbot, Colman M'Aillealla, died full of years and
honour; he erected the great church where the
patron saint lies interred. Colman was also abbot
of Clonard.
930. The Danes of Dublin this year pillaged the
abbey, which was also plundered by Ceallaghan, king
of Cashel. The Dublin Danes again spoiled it in
935 ; it was plundered again in 940 ; and in 946 it
was burned by Tomar, a Danish General from Limerick.
This abbey was also plundered in 951, and again two
years afterwards by the Danes of Limerick, and the
Munstermen ; while in 956, it was plundered by the
people of Ossory. In 957, it was pillaged and con-
sumed by fire; and again in 960, this abbey suffered
from sacrilegious hands.
964. Died the abbot Cormae O'Kellene, who was
famed for extensive knowledge and exemplary good-
ness, and who was in general styled, " Bishop of
Clonmacnoise."
969. Tuathal, abbot and bishop, died. There is a
slab at Clonmacnoise, bearing his name, and which is
CLONMACftOISE. 363
probably his tombstone ; although a scribe of the same
name, died there in the year 809.
971. Died Flan O'Moilmihill, professor of divinity
in this abbey. His tomb is there yet.
981. On the 16th of January this year, died the
abbot Dunchad Hua Braoin, who had obtained a great
reputation for learning and piety. "We are told that
in order to avoid the appearance of vain glory, he had
resigned the government of this abbey, in the year
974, and retired to Armagh, where he shut himself
up in a small enclosure, and lived " a lowly anachorite"
until it pleased the Almighty to release him.
985. The abbey was destroyed by fire this year,
during the ceremonies on Good Friday.
992. Died Maelfinnia, abbot. His slab is still at
Clonmacnoise.
994. Odran, a scribe of this abbey, died. His tomb
is yet there.
1012. The shrine of St. Kieran was much abused
by Doncll M'Taloge, but the impious act was not
suffered to remain long unpunished, for we learn, that
by the intercession of the saint, his destruction in-
stantly began, and before the end of the following
week he slept with his forefathers. The abbey wns
burned by the Danes this same year, and in three
years afterwards, it again suffered by a general con-
flagration.
1024. Faghtna, a u learned reader and priest of
Clonmacnoise," and "abbot of all Ireland," died this
year in Rome, where he had gone on a pilgrimage.
364 CLONMACftOISE.
There is a stone in commemoration of him still at
Clonmacnoise.
1038. The O'Kellys of Hy-Mania, and the people
of Delvin, fought two battles near Clonmacnoise.
1044. The abbey was twice plundered this year,
and on three occasions in 1050. It was also plundered
in 1060, and again in 1065.
1073. Connor O'Melaghlin, king of Meath, having
been slain by his nephew and buried here, his head
was forcibly taken away on Good Friday, by Turlogh
O'Brien ; but, as we are told, it was brought back on
the following Sunday, in a miraculous manner, with
two collars of gold round the neck.
1076. The church of this abbey was this year
robbed by the people of Cnawsan and Brawney, but
the following year this was amply avenged by Moil-
seaghlin M'Connor O'Melaghlin.
1087. The abbot Cormac M'Connamboght, this
year purchased for ever, the hospital of St. Kieran,
from O'Melaghlin, king of Meath.
1088. The celebrated Tigernach O'Braoin, abbot of
Clonmacnoise and of Kilcoman, died this year. He
compiled the annals of Ireland, commonly called
the Annals of Clonmacnoise^ down to this year,
and was " a wise, learned, and eloquent teacher and
doctor." These annals commence from several cen-
turies before Christ, and contain frequent references
to Greek and Latin authors, with extracts from Irish
writers who had preceded him. He was interred at
Clonmacnoise.
CLONMACNOISE. 365
1090. The abbey was robbed this year by a fleet of
Munstermen; and was again plundered in 1092. It
was also plundered in Shrovetide in 1094, by the
people of Brawney and the O'Kourkes, and was like-
wise robbed the very same day, by the son of Mac
Coghlan of Delvin. It was spoiled and sacked in
1095, and in 1098.
1100. The shingles and lower end of the wall of
the great church, by some called M'Dermot's church,
which were begun by the abbot Cormac M'Connam-
boght, were completed by the abbot Flathvertagh
O'Loyngsy. This same year O'Heyne, king of Con-
naught, was interred in Clonmacnoise. He was called
Giolla-na-naomh, or " servant of the saint." There
is a stone at Clonmacnoise, with an Irish inscription
signifying, "Pray for the true servant of Kiaran,"
which is probably O'Heyne's.
1106. At this time there was a house for hospi-
tality at Clonmacnoise, called "the house of the
guests."
1108. The great altar was robbed of the rich vest-
ments, which king Moilseaghlin had bequeathed to
this church ; the cup of Donogh M'Flyn ; the silver
cup, gilt cross, and another jewel, given to the church
by king Terlaugh ; a silver chalice, with the arms of
the daughter of Eory O'Connor ; and a silver cup,
the gift of Ceallagh, primate of Armagh. The clergy
of the abbey made incessant prayer to God and St.
Kieran, to enable them to discover the guilty person.
1111. The abbey was this year plundered by the
o66 OLONMACNOISE.
Dailgais of Thomond. This same year Christian
O'Malone or O'Moeloin, the abbot, presided at a
council of the clergy and nobility of Meath, at
Usneach ; in which council, all the petty dioceses of
that province were reduced to two, Clonmacnoise and
Clonard. This family of the Malones became great
benefactors to Clonmacnoise. (Usneach was the old
name of a hill in the present barony of Eaconrath,
and County Westmeath. It is said there was formerly
a great stone here, where the five provinces of the
kingdom met in council.)
1113. The Four Masters write that a salmon twelve
feet long, and twelve hands in breadth, was caught at
Clonmacnoise this year.
1115. Murcha O'Maolseachlain this year made an
offering to God and St. Kieran, of a cup of gold, a
drinking cup of silver, and a patena of brass, embossed
with gold. The same year the Momonians plundered
the abbey.
1118. Eory 0' Conor, king of Connaught, this year
died in the abbey, where he had taken the habit of
the order.
1120. A silver cup was given to the church of
Clonmacnoise, by Celsus, Archbishop of Armagh.
1124. The " Cloictheach " of Clonmacnoise, was
finished by O'Malone, the successor of St. Kieran.
(It may be here mentioned, that antiquarians differ as
to the meaning of the word " cloictheach," some under-
standing by it a round tower, but from which inter-
pretation others dissent.)
OLONMACNOI8E. 3G7
1127. Died the abbot Giolla t'riosd O'Moeloin.
" For wisdom, charity, and piety, he was unequalled
in the north of Ireland."
1129. The altar of the great church was this year
broken open, and plundered of all the jewels belong-
ing thereto.
1130. The jewels stolen from the abbey in 1108,
were this year found with Gille Comhdhan, a Dane of
Limerick, who was taken by Connor O'Brien, king of
Minister, and delivered up to the community. We
are told that he openly confessed, at the time of his
execution, that he had been at several ports in expec-
tation of a passage from Ireland, and had remained
for some time at each ; but, although all the other
ships left the harbours with fair winds, as soon as any
vessel he was in set sail, he saw St. Kieran with his
staff return it back again, and the saint continued to
do so, until he was taken.
1133. The abbot was robbed at Clonfinlough by the
people of Sileanmohy, aided by Connor M'Coghlan ;
but through the interference of Prince Connor, the
son of the king, the spoils were returned. (This place,
now called Clonfanlough, is about a mile and a half
from Clonmacnoise. Here, on the side of a hill over
a large lough, there is a remarkable flat rock covered
with fantastic crosses and other curious symbols, evi-
dently pagan. They are nearly similar to the figures
mentioned [p. 8], as having been on the rock formerly
at Birr.)
1135. On Easter day, this year, the town of Clon-
368 CLONMACNOISE.
macnoise, with the church of Moriegh O'Duffie, and
the place called Lisean-abbey, were all consumed by
an accidental fire. The same year lightning struck
off the head of the Cloictheach of Clonmacnoise, and
pierced the Cloictheach of Eoscrea.
1140. O'Conor, Monarch of Ireland, presented to
the churches of Clonmacnoise a number of crosses,
goblets, and chalices of silver, richly ornamented with
gold ; he distributed amongst the clergy of the abbey,
his vessels of gold and silver, and his jewels and
musical instruments ; and at his decease, he bequeathed
to them 500 ounces of pure gold.
1153. The people of Brawney, this year brought
cots and boats to Clonmacnoise, and carried away all
/ the swine kept in the woods of Faailt for the use of
J$* the abbey, but the people of Fox^s country (now
Kilcoursey^ barony, King's County), gave a total over-
throw to the plunderers.
1155. The 20th of May this year, Tordelvach
O'Conor, king of Connaught, Meath, and Breffiny,
and Monarch of all Ireland, died in his 68th year, and
was interred at Clonmacnoise near the altar of St.
Kieran. He bequeathed to the clergy of Ireland, 65
ounces of gold, and 60 marks of silver, with all his
jewels, his sword, cup, and shield excepted; and on
account of his reverence for the patron saint, he
directed his horse and arms to be deposited in this
abbey.
1163. Dermot O'Melaghlin, king of Meath, gave
to this abbey the lands of Bean-artgaly.
CLONMACNOISE. 369
1164. This year a great fire took place here.
1167. O'Kelly's church was erected here, by
Connor O'Xelly and the Ui Maine.
1170. About this time, money was coined at Clon-
macnoise.
1198. Koderick O'Conor, king of Ireland, was
this year interred in the great church, on the north
side of the high altar.
1199. Cahall Carragh O'Connor, with the forces of
William Burke and others, this year plundered the
" hospitals " of Clonmacnoise ; and the following year
Meyler, at the head of the English of Leinster, pillaged
the " town and churches " there. We are informed
that again, the very year after, the English of Milicke,
with others, plundered " the church, sanctuary, and
town of Clonmacnoise," on the feast of St. Gregory ;
and, although the spoil was very rich, they returned
next day, and carried away everything that remained,
including the vestments, books, and chalices of the
church, with all the provisions of the abbot and monks ;
and finally, they laid waste all the " gardens and
houses in the town." The abbey was again plundered
by William Burke in 1204, three years afterwards.
1205. An accidental fire consumed forty-seven
houses, at the place called Lisean Abbey, at Clonmac-
noise, and this same year Melaghlin O'Melaghlin,
erected a stone altar in the great church.
1214. The English erected a castle at Clonmacnoise ;
and in 1227, the town was set on fire three times, by
the son of Donell Bregagh O'Melaghlin.
o A
a.
370 CLONMACNOISE.
1268. The abbot Thomas, sued Thomas, bishop of
Clonmacnoise, for quantities of land in several places,
including Clonbonnyn, Clonfada, Kilbegalla, Arnaglog,
and Tesaya ; (now Clonboniff, Clonfad, Killegally,
Ardglug and Tissarin, all in Garrycastle barony, and
some of which have been already referred to). The
bishop appeared, and replied, that the said Thomas
was not then abbot, having been deposed. To this
the abbot rejoined, that he had never been deposed ;
but the result of the suit is not known.
1280. About this year Odo, dean of Clonmacnoise,
re-edified the cathedral or great church, and also
caused the beautiful doorway, called Odo's door, to
be made, as the inscription above it testifies. About
the same year, the Franciscan and Dominican Orders
were established here.
1444. Manus McMahon, the king of Orgial, was
interred at Clonmacnoise.
1552. The garrison of Athlone pillaged the town
and abbey of Clonmacnoise, carrying away the plate,
bells, and ornaments, and not sparing even the church
books.
The learned Mr. Archdall, in the Monasticon
Hibernicum, written nearly a century ago, thus con-
cludes his account of Clonmacnoise : " This monas-
tery, which belonged to the regular canons of St.
Augustin, was peculiarly and universally esteemed,
it was uncommonly extensive, and amazingly enriched
by various kings and princes ; its landed property
was so great, and the number of cells and monasteries
CLONMACNOISE. 371
subjected to it so numerous, that almost half of
Ireland was said to be within the bounds of Clonmac-
noise. And what was a strong inducement and con-
tributed much towards enriching this house, it was
believed, that all persons who were interred in the
^)^\^holy ground belonging to it, ha4 insured to themselves
a sjire and immediate ascent to heaven ; many princes
(it is supposed for this reason) chose this for the
place of their sepulture ; it was the lona of Ireland ;
yet notwithstanding the reputed sanctity of this
monastery, and the high estimation in which it was
held by all ranks of people, it appears from the fore-
going history, that the abbey and town were frequently
plundered, burnt, and destroyed by despoilers of every
kind, from the unpolished Irish desperado, to the
empurpled king. The abbey also suffered by the
hands of the barbarous Ostmen, and not only by them,
but (with concern do we add), by the English then
settled in the kingdom, whose errand hither, we
would wish to think, was to conciliate the affections
of the people, to unite them in the bonds of friendship,
and teach them to live like fellow-citizens and subjects;
instead of this, we are compelled to say, they too
often joined in the sacrilegious outrages of other
wicked men, and repeatedly disturbed and despoiled
the peaceful seminary of Clonmacnoise; sparing neither
book, vestment, or any other appendage of the sacred
altar, which belonged to these truly inoffensive men."
The same writer adds, " At length this abbey which
was formerly endowed with very large possessions,
372 CLONMACNOISE.
suffered a gradual decline, and in the course of time
was reduced and despoiled of all its property."
After these various changes of fortune, and the
further effects of the unsparing hand of time, during
centuries since passed away, we come to Clonmacnoise
of the present day, and there find most conspicuous,
the two fine round towers known as O'Eourke's and
McCarthy's towers, the former being 65 J feet, and
the latter 58 i feet in height. In the enclosed ceme-
x? O
tery, containing about two acres, on the verge of
which these towers stand, the ruins of Temple Dermot,
the cathedral or "great church," with the "black
cell" adjoining, first attract attention, and then the
group of lesser churches around. These latter, as
when Harris's Ware was published over one hundred
and thirty years ago, are ten in number ; and they
are mostly named from their founders. Thus we have
Temple Killen ; Temple Finian, or McCarthy's church,
built by McCarthy More; Temple Kelly, built in
1167, by Connor O'Kelly; Temple Kiaran; Temple
Bigh or O'Melaghlin's church, built by O'Melaghlin,
king of Meath ; Temple Doulin ; Temple Hurpan, or
M'Laffy's church ; Temple Connor, erected by
O'Connor Dun; Temple Gauney ; and the "Bishop's
Chapel." The remains of some of these numerous
churches show some beautiful carving, particularly
the doors of the cathedral, and above all "Odo's
door," which Odo, dean of Clonmacnoise, caused to be
constructed in the year 1280, as already mentioned.
There are also at Clonmacnoise several elaborately
CLONMACNOISE. 373
carved stone crosses, the principal of which is opposite
the west door of the cathedral, and is described by
Mr. Archdall as " a large old cross of one entire stone,
much defaced by time, on which was some rude carving
and an inscription in antique and unknown characters."
In this, however, Mr. Archdall scarcely does justice
to this beautiful cross, even as it now remains. There
are likewise here many very curious and interesting
monumental stones, and sepulchral slabs, some of
which have been already alluded to, when mentioning
the deaths of those they commemorate. The shaft of
the cross in commemoration of Bishop 'Duffy, who
was killed by a fall from his horse in 1297, and which
is now also at Clonmacnoise, has been already referred
to (p. 316), in connexion with Banagher.
A few hundred yards west of the cemetery are the
ruins of the castle or bishop's palace, which, erected
within a kind of rath or earthwork, is well worthy of
attention. The visitor will here notice a remarkable
example of the power of gunpowder, as well as of the
excellence and strength of the mortar used in former
times; for, a large portion of this building, lifted
from the foundation, evidently by the force of gun-
powder, yet stands almost upon one corner, the ancient
mortar keeping the huge mass together, as if it were
only one stone.
In the same direction, and about twice as far more
as the castle from the cemetery, is St. Kieran's well,
close by the road from Shannon Bridge to Clonmac-
noise. The well of St. Fineen is situate a little north
374 CLONMACNOISE.
of the 'Cemetery, towards the river, and is close to
the latter. The Annals of Clonmacnoise, compiled
by the abbot .Tigernach, as already stated, inform us
that a person named Torbaid was comorban of St.
Patrick previous to the year 758, when his son
Gorman died on a pilgrimage at the well of St. Fineen
at Clonmacnoise. Thus we find this well of St. Fineen,
resorted to for religious purposes, more than 1100
years ago not very long after the introduction of
Christianity into Ireland.
On the opposite side of the churchyard from the
castle, and at a somewhat greater distance from it, is
the Reileace Cailleach, a nearly square enclosure the
fence of which was originally faced with large rough
stones, and appears to have been of very early date
indeed. Within this fence or enclosure, was the
Teampatt CaiUeach, or " Church of the Nuns." The
remains of this small church, were it only for the
associations connected with it, would seem to many to
be even the most interesting portion of the very
interesting antiquarian remains at Clonmacnoise. But,
if the " Church of the Nuns " is valuable as a land-
mark in our history the exact date of erection being
known it also affords a reliable example of ancient
Irish ecclesiastical architecture of the period. We
must, however, let others fully describe, and let our
readers judge for themselves, the architectural and
other beauties of Clonmacnoise, it being our task here
to give a general idea of the early history of the place.
It appears a religious house for nuns was founded
CLONMACNOISE. 375
very early at Clonmacnoise, and we learn from the
Four Masters and the Annals of Clonmacnoise, that in
the year 1026 or 1027, " the pavement from the place
in Clonmicnoise called the Abbess her gardaine, to
the heap of stones of the three crosses, was made by
Breassal Conalleaghe." We are also informed by the
same authority that in 1167, " the church of the nuns
at Cluain-mic-noise, was finished by Dearvorgail,
daughter of Morrogh O'Melaghlin." According to
other writers, however, the church of this nunnery,
" with the houses in the church yard," having been
consumed by an accidental fire, the church was rebuilt
in 1070, by Dearvorgail. We likewise learn on good
authority, that in 1195, Pope Celestine III., confirmed
the church of St. Mary here, and its possessions, to
the nunnery of Clonard.
Most of our readers will recognise in Dearvorgail,
also called Dervorgilla, and Dearbhorgil, by whom
this church was thus finished in 1167, the wife of
O'Rourke, Prince of Brefney, to whose elopement
with Dermot Mac Murrough is attributed the Anglo-
Norman invasion of Ireland. We are told by
O'Halloran, that "The king of Leinster had long
conceived a violent affection for Dearbhorgil, daughter
to the king of Meath, and though she had been for
some time married to O'Kuark, Prince of Breffni, yet
it could not restrain his passion. They carried on a
private correspondence, and she informed him that
O'Ruark intended soon to go on a pilgrimage, (an act
of piety frequent in these days), and conjured him to
376 CLONMACNOISE.
embrace that opportunity of conveying her from a
husband she detested to a lover she adored. Mac
Murchad too punctually obeyed the summons, and
had the lady conveyed to his capital of Ferns." The
monarch Eoderick espoused the cause of O'Euark,
while Mac Murchad fled to England, and obtained the
assistance of Henry II,, and hence the invasion of
Ireland by the English. On this occurrence Giraldus
Cambrensis remarks, " Such is the variable and fickle
nature of women, by whom all mischiefs in the world
(for the most part) do happen and come, as may appear
by Marcus Antonius, and by the destruction of
Troy."
Our readers will excuse the introduction here of
the beautiful lines of our national poet, " The Song of
O'Euark," where the Prince of Brefney laments the
infidelity of his wife Dervorgail, by whom this
"church of the nuns" at Clonmacnoise, was thus
finished more than seven centuries since ; and where
he predicts the misfortunes to fall on his country in
consequence : -
THE SONG OF O'EUAEK, PEINCE OF BEEFNEY,
The valley lay smiling before me,
Where lately I left her behind ;
Yet I trembled, and something hung o'er me
That saddened the joy of my mind.
I look'd for the lamp which, she told me,
Should shine, when her pilgrim return'd
But, though darkness began to infold me,
No lamp from the battlements burn'd.
CLONMACNOISE . 377
I flew to her chamber 'twas lonely,
As if the lov'd tenant lay dead ;
Ah, would it were death, and death only !
But no, the young false one had fled.
And there hung the lute that could soften
My very worst pains into bliss,
While the hand that had wak'd it so often
Now throbb'd to a proud rival's kiss.
There was a time, falsest of women !
When Breffni's good sword would have sought
That man, thro' a million of foemen,
Who dar'd but to wrong thee in thought /
While now oh, degenerate daughter
Of Erin, how fall'n is thy fame !
And thro' ages of bondage and slaughter,
Our country shall bleed for thy shame.
Already the curse is upon her,
And strangers her valleys profane ;
They come to divide to dishonour,
And tyrants they long will remain.
But onward !> the green banner rearing,
Go, flesh every sword to the hilt ;
On our side is Virtue and Erin,
On theirs is the Saxon and Guilt.
It would be idle, and tend to no useful result, to
speculate here as to what might now be the condition
of Ireland, had Dervorgilla never erred. It is certain,
however, that every Irishman should feel a deep
interest in the preservation of relics of those long past
times, and memorials of one who then acted such an
important part in determining the future lot of his
oountry. The more valuable are these relics as land-
378 CLONMACNOISE.
marks in our history, or otherwise, so should we feel
the more indebted to those by whose praiseworthy
exertions they are preserved. Such of our readers as
have been at Clonmacnoise in late years, must have
noticed the state of preservation the ecclesiastical
remains there are now in, and surely they have
admired, the beautifully carved Hiberno-Komanesque
doorway, and fine chancel arch, of the " church of the
nuns." They will, therefore, be surprised to hear,
that when Harris's Ware was published more than
130 years ago, only a portion of this chancel arch as
now seen, was standing ; while for upwards of thirty
years past, there was nothing to be seen until lately,
of the beautiful carved doorway, save an open in the
wall. It is fortunate, however, that these elegantly
finished, but fallen materials, were then lying safe and
unheeded in grass covered heaps, beneath the places
they had so long adorned. Even Mr. Seward in his
Topographia Hibernica, published nearly a century ago,
states as to Clonmacnoise, that "the churches, epis-
copal palace and other buildings, have been suffered
to decay, being at present little better than a heap of
ruins, entombing a number of the sepulchres of the
nobility and bishops."
For the present state of preservation of the remains
at .Clonmacnoise so different from heretofore ; with
the " nuns' church" of the lady Dervorgail, risen, as
it were, phoenix like, from destruction ; Irishmen are
indebted to the " Historical and Archaeological
Association of Ireland," and the exertions of the
CLONMACNOISE. 379
Rev. James Graves, their honorary secretary, zealously
aided by the Rev. Charles Vignoles, rector of Clon-
macnoise. These reverend gentlemen, by judicious
renovations and repairs on the crumbling ruins, and
by collecting into a place of safety on the spot, the
interesting monumental stones and sepulchral slabs,
which were scattered there, have rescued from
destruction, and further dilapidation, these interesting
memorials of long past times, of which all Irishmen
should be proud. For his own part, it is with feelings
of pride and pleasure, the writer of this work mentions
the fjact of his having been elected a life member of
the learned " Historical and Archaeological Associa-
tion of Ireland," in acknowledgment of his humble
exertions in assisting to preserve what yet remains, of
the once renowned, and still venerable and interesting,
Clonmacnoise.
APPENDIX.
No. 1.
SURRENDER OF ELY 7 CARROLL.
" THIS Indenture made the 8th. day of Marche, anno
Domini 1576 betwyxte Sir Henry Sidney Knt. lorde
Deputy of Ireland, for and in behalfe of the Queenes
most excellent Ma tie of thone parte ; and Sir "William
O'Kerroll of Lemyvanan in the countrie called Elye
O'Kerroll and now to be made parcell of the King's
Countie; Mcholl M'Gilfoil: wen M 'Gilfbil; William
O'Dowyn; Eory M'Oney O'Kerroll ; Eory M'Callogh
O'Kerroll ; Gaven O'Eewrdane ; Dermott M'Gillane-
newe ; Donogh M^Teig ; William O'Banane ; Teige
M'Shane O'Kerroll; Dermott O'Towgher; Callough
M'Donogh O'Kerroll ; Cusell M'Shane Oge ; Donogh
M'Hugh ; Donoghy O'Dolloghane ; Donogh M'Cor-
crane ; Shane O'Langane ; Teige M'Donell ; Donogh
O'Trehie ; Teige O'Heggane ; Gillemew M'Heggane ;
Tirlogh M'Eorie ; Teige liaghe ; Donough Oge
O'Dowlye ; Donogh M'Eorie ; Shane M'Donogh ;
Teige O'Conell; William M'Teige; Eory M^Greamon;
Teige M'Eedmond; Gilpatrike M'Morogh; Caher
O'Langane ; Donell M'Eedmond ; Shane M'DoneU ;
Shane O'Scolle ; Tirloghe O'Doyne ; in the said
countrie, freeholders, of the other part; Witnesseth
that the said Sir William and the rest above named,
do covenant agree and condescend to and with the
said lorde Deputy, to surrender and give up in the
APPENDIX. 381
Queenes most Honorable Courte of Chauncerie of
Ireland, all such manors, castells, lands, tenements,
rents, revercons, and all other hereditaments that they
and everie of them have within the said countrie called
Elye O'Karrell. And the said lorde Deputy doe
promise and graunte that the same shall be by letters
pattents, given back to the said Sir William and
theires males of his bodi y lawfullie begotten and to be
begotten ; and for lacke of suche to John O'Kerroll,
his eldest base son, and the heires males of his bodie
lawfullie begotten or to be begotten ; and for lacke of
such issue to Teige O'Kerroll, another base son of said
Sir William r and theires males of his bodi, lawfully
begotten and to be begotten ; and for lacke of such
issue to Calloghe O'Kerroll, a third base son of said
Sir William and theires males of his bodi, lawfullie
begotten and to be begotten ; and for lack of such
issue to Donoghe O'Kerroll, a further base son of said
&ir William, and the heires males of his bodie lawfullie
begotten and to begotten ; and for want of such issue
to Donoghe Eeoghe O'Kerroll, brother to said Sir
William, and the heirs males of his bodie lawfullie
begotten and to be begotten. To have and to hold
the said countrie, called Elyie O'Karrell, by two
knights' fees in chiefe. And the said Sir William and
the rest above named, to be wholie discharged from
the Bonaght accustomed to be payed out of the said
country, and all other cesses and ymposicons, other
than the rents hereafter specified.
" (Signed), SIR WILLIAM O'KARRELL."
382 APPENDIX.
No. 2.
I
ELY O'CARROLL, AS DESCRIBED BY DIMMOCK.
" This small terrytory or compas of grownde hath
beene counted parcell of Monster, as belonginge to
ye county of Tipperarye, but for that O'Carrell who
is lo. of this cuntry and his ancestors would never
yeeld to be of that cuntry as far that he and his
father did allwaies consent to be vnder the Englesh
go Vermont, viz., vnder the lieutenant of the King's
County, and yeeldeth now by composition vnto her
Maiestie ,100 per arm. and to be ordered by the
Queenes lieute. of the King's County in all contro-
versies so as yt is accounted parcell thereof, and so of
Leimster.
" It bowndeth with Ossory and a part of the Qu.
County to the south ; with Ormond to the west ; with
de la Mac Coghan to the north; and with the mowntaine
Slibown to the easte. It hath small piles of litle
importance, the chief est whereof is Limwaddon."
APPENDIX. 383
No. 3.
NAMES OF THE " UNDERTAKERS " WHO OBTAINED GRANTS
OP LAND, IN 1619, ON THE "PLANTATION" OF ELY
0' CARROLL, AND THE COUNTY OF LONGFORD ; WITH
THE QUANTITY ALLOTTED TO EACH.
Sir Thomas Button ; Sir Win. Sinclair, of Rosling ;
Sir James Younge ; Mr. Laurence Parsons ; James
Gibb, of Carrybor ; and Charles Dutton, son of Sir
Thomas Dutton ; one thousand acres each.
Eobert Gordon, son of Sir Robert Gordon ; Captain
Arthur Blundell ; John Knock, Lord of Ranferly ;
"Walter Leckye ; Captain Henry Stradford ; Robert
Glendoning ; George Blundell, the younger ; William
Drummond of Rathorden ; and Captain Arthur Forbes;
six hundred acres each.
William Carr; Robert Lindsay, son to Bernard
Lindsay ; James Irwing, son to Sir William Irwing ;
Lieut. Nicholas Fitton ; John Beere, "our late servant's
son;" Lieut. Clarke; James Alexander; William
Alexander ; Henry Stanes ; Edmond Medhopp ;
Conrey, of Kelwood ; and Daniel Gookinge ; five hun-
dred acres each.
Captain John Pikeman ; Lieut. William Hamden ;
Claude Hamilton ; Thomas Dalzell ; Lieut. Henry
Fisher ; Lieut. Brent Moore ; and James Forrett ;
four hundred acres each.
Francis Edgeworth ; Patrick Hannal ; Nynian
Herune; James Phelp; "Sergeant" Hodges; and
Joseph Rodgers ; three hundred acres each.
Ensign Thomas Prescott ; Robert Hannae ; William
384 APPENDIX.
/
Terror; William Lermouth; James Lermouth; Thomas
Deepupp ; John Marsh ; Bryan M'Connell, " footman
to our son;" and Henry Piers, "soldier;" two
hundred acres each.
No. 4.
NAMES OF THE BIRR TENANTS WHO TOOK LEASES FROM SIR
LAURENCE PARSONS IN 1620. FROM A RENTAL IN
THE HANDWRITING OF SIR LAURENCE.
Sir Francis Ackland, knight, Eobert Aharan, Francis
Beaty, John Burras, William Beetenson, Clement Ben-
field, James Blundell, Patrick Condon, Hugh O'Cro-
keran 7 Brian M'Hugh Coghlan, William Carrotters,
Donnell M'Farshees Carroll, Gilchrist 0' Carroll, Eory
O'Dulhunty, Eory Ogle O'Dulhunty, Daniel Ogle
O'Dulhunty, Joseph Evans, Edmund Fitzsymonds,
Dermot Gavan, Denis Gothforth, James Green assigned
to Henry Evans, Philip O'Glessame, Teige 0'Hogan r
Dermot O'Hogan, Teige O'Herin, William O'Haghtir,
John Hogan, Edward Hustler, Edward Hamsell, Oliver
Humphry, Henry Hart r Eichard Irwin, Eobert Irwin,
Jeremiah 'Kennedy, John Langton, Patrick Larre,
Thomas Molloy, Dermot M 'Teige O'Magher, Francis
Morley, John Murroghoe assigned to Alexander Prin,
Stephen Mabbot, Brian O'Naughten, George Percy,
Eichard Eose, Michael Eaghtor, William Eice,
Eichard Eoose, Thomas Eoch, Philip Eidgeway,
William Stockdale, Eobert Sweetman, Simon Simonson,
Eobert Sheeply clerke, James Saul, Thomas Teigh and
Philip Trady, Eichard Taylor, Eobert Trieve, John
Trieve, William Walter, and Eichard Williams.
APPENDIX. 385
No. 5.
ORDINANCE BY SIR LAURENCE PARSONS, FOR THE PAVING
AND CLEANING OF BIRR, IN THE YEAR 1626.
" SINCE I am at great charges in digginge and bring-
inge of stones, wch I intend to have layed in the
middest of the streete onely to serve for comon passage,
Therefore it is the least that the inhabitants can doe
to pave xii foote broade a well before theire houses as
alsoe so longe and as fair as theire houses yards
gardens or plotts doe reach and touch upon the streete,
still carryinge the pavem*- twelve foote broade.
This to bee done at the tennts charge both for stones
gravell and workmanshipp. But the prent under-
teiinte is to beare the charge thereof soe farr as his
pte of the plott extends (if he bee able) by the judg-
ment of the steward and constable, otherwise the chief
tennte of the plott is to beare the whole charge and
such chief tennte is to pave the wast land of his plott
howsoever ; This worke to bee done by Whitsuntide
next at the farthest as well beyond the bridge as whin
the towne, and whosoever shall make default of his
pte herein, shall be psented in the Court leete for the
same and shall have a heavye aniciamt imposed upon
him to bee leavyed of his goods by way of distres, and
to bee imployed for the publige good of the towne
according the discretion of the constables and church-
wardens ; And if any take the stones provided by mee
for the middle of the streete the constable or any of
the surveyors may take his distresse for xii d ster. for
2s
386 APPENDIX.
evy such default, to bee imployed to the publique use
of the towne : And if any pson cast any dunge
rubbidge filth or sweepings into the forestreete and
doe not cleanse the same and carry it cleane away evy
Saturday, then the constable may distreyne every
pson soe makinge default and leavy foure pence ster.
upon him for evy such default and double the same
weekely till the same bee cleansed.
"Aug. 1626."
No. 6.
ORDINANCE FOR THE REGULATION OF DRINKING HOUSES,
ETC., IN BIRR, IN THE YEAR 1626.
AFTER reciting the evils caused by having young
women to "draw ale and beare" in Birr, this ordi-
nance directs as follows :
" Therefore I doe ordayne that henceforwards noe
single woman other than hired servants for meate
drinke and wages or clothes shall draw any ale or
beare, or keepe vittling in this towne, uppon payne to
bee sett in the stocks by the constable for 3 whole
m'kett dayes, one after another, and those wch retaine
suche. in their houses to paie xx di str. for each default,
to bee levyed by the constable and Serjant Lewis
Jones for repayring the church and bridg of this
towne, and they are allso to banishe anny single woman
out this towne that nowe or hereafter shalbe found
wth childe (first setting such in stocks for xij houres
for the terror and example of others). And if any
APPENDIX. 387
tehnte in this towne shall hereafter receive any inmate
or undertennte wthout the allowance of the constable
or of my steward who are therein to take the advice
of M'Calloughe FitzPatricke or Bob*- Tewe, or Rob*-
Sweetman, or Phillipp Tradye, such receiver shall
forfett xx d - ster. for each default to bee levyect and
imployed as aforesaid.
"LAUR. PARSONS.
"xvij Decembris 1626."
No. 7.
ORDINANCE FOR THE ERECTION OF CHIMNETS IN BIRR, IN
THE YEAR 1627.
" A BYELAWE for dwelling houses in Birr without
chimneys.
" Ffor as much as it is scene by fearefull experience
that many townes and villages have binn consumed
by fire in divers pts of this realme and especially
occasioned thorowe fires made without chimneys ;
Therefore I doe ordeyne that if any tennte or under-
tennte in my towne of Birr shall after Alhallowtide
next kepe any fire whatsoev r eyther in dwellinge
house or smithes forge or otherwise without having a
stone chimney (if they bee tyed thereto by the tenor
of theire leases, or els a forrest chimney wherein to
make theire fires. And whosoev 1 " makes default herein
shall bee banished from the towne whereof they are
to take this notice and forewarninge at theire pills.
" 7 Augusti 1627."
388 APPENDIX.
No. 8.
ARTICLES ENTERED INTO ON THE SURRENDER OF BIRR
CASTLE, THE 20lH OF JANUARY, 1642 (OLD STYLE).
" ARTICLES of Agreement made and concluded upon,
by and between the Eight Honourable the Lord
General of Leinster, of the one part, and William
Parsons, Governor of Birr, of the other part. Dated
this 20th day of January 1642.
" Imprimis. It is agreed upon, that the said
Governor is to have six horses armed, besides his
officers to attend himself, and all his horse, with their
saddles and swords.
11 Item. Six of his own muskets to be put into my
Lord convoy's hands, and at his departure from the
convoy to be surrendered unto him.
" Item. The said Governor is to have the one-half
of his own and his mother's money and plate, to be
left with them, and the one-half of his brother Coote's
money and plate, to be left to himself, and so all men
and women in the house to have the one-half of their
monies and plate to themselves, and the ladies, and
the Governor and his wife, and Captain and his wife,
having their own halves weighed to them, to pass with
it unsearched ; and, if any other person that hath his
half allotted to him shall be found with any more, he
shall lose the benefit of his quarter.
"Item. It is agreed, that the Lieutenant of his
Horse, and Captain Coote, Ensign of the Foot, shall be
left with the Lord- General as pledges, and that they
APPENDIX. 389
all shall have safe convoy with Sir Robert Talbot, and
some horse and foot to Maryborough, and from thence
two pledges shall go with them to the Nasse, to wit,
Captain Oliver Darcy and Lieutenant James Malone,
who are to be safely conveyed from the Nasse to
Ballygowan, and then their two pledges are to be
safely sent to the Nasse.
" Item. It is agreed, that the Governor and all
the rest of the people shall have all their horses to
their own use, and the General will issue his warrants
to the country for .the furnishing of the Governor with
twenty horses more to aid them in their carriages.
" Item. It is agreed, that the Lady Philips and the
Lady Parsons shall have to each of them two pair of
sheets, and the Governor's lady and Captain Coote's
lady shall have each of them two pair of sheets, and
to each pair of sheets a pair of pillow beers, and all their
clothes of linen and woollen, with their trunk and chest
to carry them in, and two feather beds for his children,
and the red bed that is laced with willow-coloured
lace, with its furniture ; that the soldiers and all other
of their people shall carry away with them all their
wearing apparel, both linen and woollen, and their
swords by their sides.
" Item. I, the said Lord General, do bind myself
to the true and honourable performance of all these
articles, and the Governor is to give up the arms this
night, saving those that the Governor is to have by
virtue of his former articles, and to-morrow morning
the Governor is to deliver up the keys of the gates
390 APPENDIX.
for his Majesty's use to his lordship as he marches
out of the gates, having taken out with him such
things as are contained in the former articles, and no
common soldier shall dare to come within the doors to
frighten the ladies until they and the carriages be
gone out.
" Item. It is agreed, that the Governor and every
other man shall have free liberty to carry away with
them #11 their writings, evidences, books, papers, and
manuscripts that they have.
" Item. It is agreed, that the Governor and all
others shall have free liberty to carry with them such
provisions of meat and drink as shall serve them in
their journey.
" Item. It is agreed, that Sir Eobert Talbot shall
see the division of the money and plate and the rest
of the things contained in the articles, and that no
soldier or other person shall dare to go into the
Governor's house this night upon pain of being shot.
" Item. It is agreed, that the Governor shall freely
have two draught of oxen to draw his carriage, and
his coach and horses, with their ladies, shall go freely
unfrightened and unsearched. Given at the camp,
this 20th day of January 1642.
" J. PRESTON."
The following secret articles were at the same time
executed by the Governor :
" I do hereby promise my Lord General to use my
best endeavours that I can to the Lord Justice and
t
APPENDIX. 391
Council, that they will discharge the bodies of Nicholas
Egan of Kath Coffey, and Catherine Preston, his wife,
with her sister, a religious woman, the hopes of which
enlargement hath encouraged his Lordship to give me
so fair and honourable quarter. Given at the camp,
this 20th January 1642.
" WM, PARSONS.
" And, for as much as Captain Oliver Darcy, by
reason the indisposition of his body, being not able to
travel, being formerly appointed one of the pledges
for the safe conveying of the Governor to the Nasse,
I am most willing to accept of Captain Pardis as a
pledge in his place.
" "Witness my hand,
"War. PARSONS."
No. 9.
ARTICLES ENTERED INTO ON THE SURRENDER OF BIRR
CASTLE, THE 20TH OF FEBRUARY 1688 (OLD STYLE).
" ARTICLES of Agreement made and agreed upon by
and between Colonel He war Oxburgh, and Lieut. -
Colonel Kobert Grace, for and on his Majesty's (King
James) behalf, on the one part, and Sir Laurence
Parsons, Bart., as well on his own behalf, as of those
other persons now with him in the Castle of Birr, for
and touching the surrendering the Castle to his
Majesty's use, the 20th day of February 1688.
" Imprimis. It is agreed upon by and between the
392 APPENDIX.
said parties, that the said Sir Laurence Parsons shall
and will, immediately after perfection hereof, disperse
and send home to their respective houses and habita-
tions all the said persons so with him in the said
Castle of Birr, and keep none therein but his own
private family, and also receive into the Castle such
number of men to be quartered therein for his Majesty,
as the said Colonels Hewar Oxburgh and Eobert
Grace shall think fit ; and the same continue therein
till his Excellency commands to the contrary.
" Secondly, item. It is further agreed upon between
the said parties that all the said persons now in the
Castle of Birr shall and may carry away and make
use of all the goods and chatties which they have now
in the said Castle, excepting only their horses, ammu-
nition, and arms, which are to be disposed of to his
Majesty's use and for his service, and excepting also
the provisions and victuals they now have in the said
Castle, which is intended for the use of the King's
garrison, if the Lord Deputy will not, before the last
day of this month, think fit to order the same to be
restored to the right owners.
" Thirdly, item. It is agreed on by and between
the said parties that the said persons now in the
Castle of Birr, with the said Laurence, shall have the
full protection and benefit of the law, as well to pro-
tect their persons from any violence, as to preserve
and secure their goods to them, whilst they shall
peaceably demean and behave themselves towards the
king, his laws, and government, and that all the said
APPENDIX. 393
persons shall be bound one for another before the said
Colonel Hew Oxburgh to appear next assizes ; which
recognizance the said Heward Oxburgh is to keep in
his hands, and not to return to the assizes if the Lord
Deputy will so order it ; and that, till his Excellency's
pleasure is known touching the said provisions and
victuals, the said Colonel Oxburgh is to give the
owners of such provisions and victuals the one
moiety thereof for their subsistence. In witness
whereof, the said parties have to these presents inter-
changeably set their hands and seals, the day and
year first before written.
" Sealed and delivered
in presence of us, HEW OXBTJRGH (L.8.)
OWEN CARROLL. E. GRACE (L.S.)
MATHEW MOONEY. L. PARSONS (L.S.)
P. MOOR."
No. 11.
NAMES OF THOSE WHOSE PROPERTY IN AND ABOUT BIRR
WAS DESTROYED IN THE WAR OF 1690.
Mr. John Philip's house, stable, cow-house, and
other out-houses destroyed, and an orchard cut to the
ground. Mr. Knight's two houses destroyed, his
orchard cut, and his country house and the houses of
several of his tenants, burned. Owen Bryan's house
pulled down. The houses of Luke Archer, Eichard
Jones, Jasper Hopkins, Teig Heaman, and Hew
Dulhunty, burned. Nethercott's two houses in the
394 APPENDIX.
town and one in the country, with a dairy, cow-house,
stable, and other buildings, burned ; and an orchard
cut down. The houses of Thomas Horton, Anthony
Beg, John Molony, Teige Horan, William Page, and
several undertenants ; as also those of Donogh Lowry
and Michael Cantwell, burned. Two houses of Captain
William Parsons (brother to Sir Laurence), burned ;
and a tan-yard and an orchard destroyed. The
house of Richard Archer, and at least six houses in
Mill Lane, with Eobert Usher's house, burned. The
houses of Sharpcott Nicholson, Marcus Archer, and
Philip Moore, ruined ; and those of James Langton,
Daniel Dunn, John Cavanagh, Teige Carroll, Eichard
Hopkins, William Dunn, and Teige Corcoran, burned.
Hugh Ball's house demolished; and the houses of
Loughlan Murry, Margaret Barnwell, Eliza Hopkins,
John Parry, Edmond Carroll, Thomas Lovel, Edmond
Lowry, Daniel Eeardon, Charles Carroll, and James
Grady ; with John Walplate's house and malt-house, and
John Weelder or Laurence Beteridge's stable and
several tenements, all burned. Several houses in Crincle,
burned. The houses of John Sweetman and tenants
at Ballinree, and of Christopher Hewitt and tenants,
at Little Seffin, burned, and an orchard cut ; and the
houses of Eichard Archer's tenants at Ballindara,
likewise burned. The houses of Owen Hines and his
tenants, and Darby Moore and his tenants, at Great
Clonaghill, Great Seffin, and Derrinduff; and the
houses of Thomas Burfields and tenants, at Great
Clonaghill, including the castle, all burned ; as were
APPENDIX. 395
likewise the houses of John Burris and his tenants,
with outhouses, at Ballywilliam, where an orchard
was also cut down. The houses of Joseph Smith, and
Joseph Watkinsand tenants, at "Ballydown," burned,
and an orchard cut. Houses of Eandal Knight and
his tenants, at " Tullaghnaskeagh," and of Edmund
Daly and his tenants, at Ballykelly, burned. The
houses of Charles Molloy's tenants, at Boulinarrig,
burned, and an orchard destroyed ; and Owen Carroll's
houses at Derrinlough, also burned. The houses of
William Deegan and tenants, at Ballyduff, and of
John Dillon at Conspark ; James Cavanagh's house at
Galrush ; Francis Pane's at Coloug and Ballinally,
and John Connor's house at Newtown, all burned.
No. 12.
NAMES OF THE MAGISTRATES WHO ASSEMBLED AT BIRR
QUARTER SESSIONS, THE IGlH OP OCTOBER 1822.
Frederick Aldridge, Maunsel Andrews, John
Armstrong, Samuel Armstrong, Thomas St. George
Armstrong, Colonel J. "W. Atkinson, Charles Baggot,
Valentine Bennett, Thomas Bernard, "William Berwick.
W. H. Birch, Sir B. Bloomfield, Bart., W. N. Briscoe.
J. Brownrig, Eev. J. Burdett, Shaw Cartland, E. Cox,
James Cox, J. A. Drought, James Dunn, Eobert
Fraser, Abraham Fuller, J. E. Gamble, Eichard
Grattan, Eev. Skelton Gresson, Simpson Haokplt, Eev.
Thomas Hawkins, D.D., Thomas Hobbs ? G. A.
396 APPENDIX.
Holmes, M. Kearney, Major Charles L'Estrange,
Edmond L'Estrange, Colonel H. P. L'Estrange, Eobert
Lauder, William Minchin, John Molloy. E. J. E.
Mooney, Sandford Palmer, Thomas E. Pepper, John
Percy, Thomas Powell, Eight Hon. Laurence Earl of
Eosse, George Slator, Bernard Smith, Thomas Stannus,
J. W. Tibeaudo, Frederick Thompson, Adam Tyrrell,
H. P. Yaughan, Eichard "Warburton, B. B. Warbur-
ton, B. Warburton, "William Wallace, John Wether elt,
Charles White, and Corker Wright.
No. 13.
LETTERS FROM THE LATE SERGEANT HOWLEY, AS TO THE
ORIGIN OF THE OFFICE OF SESSIONAL CROWN PROSE-
CUTOR IN IRELAND; AND THE AMENDMENT OF THE
CIVIL BILL ACT. .
Nov. 21st, 1835.
MY DEAR COOKE,
I have spoken to the Attorney- General about
you, and represented the very efficient manner in which
you conducted the Crown prosecutions at the sessions
and the good results that have attended the appoint-
ment of a local solicitor. He has desired me to tell
you that he will appoint you as Local Crown Solicitor
for the King's County, and in consequence of the
experiment having answered so well in the King's
County, it has been resolved on by Government to
appoint local solicitors for prosecuting at the Quarter
APPENDIX. 397
Sessions in every county in Ireland. I am very
happy in having been enabled to effect this object for
you, and remain, yours most faithfully,
JOHN HOWLEY.
32 UPPER FITZWILLIAM ST.
DEAR COOKE,
Send me by return of post or as soon as you can
any amendments which you might think advisable of
the present Civil Bill code, either in principle or
details. To be useful do not delay. Faithfully
yours,
JOHN HOWLEY.
398
APPENDIX.
No. 14.
NAMES OF THE PEINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF BIRR AND
NEIGHBOURHOOD IN THE YEAR 1823.
NOBILITY, GENTEY, AND CLEEGY.
Earl of Eosse, Birr Castle.
Lord Oxmantown, M.P. for the
County, Birr Castle.
Antisell, Thos., Esq., Sraduff.
Barnes, Eev. Joseph, Derrinlough
Bayly, John, Esq., New Grove.
Berry, Chas., Esq., Dove Grove.
Borrough, Col., Oxmantown PL
Cassidy, John, Esq.,Streamstown
Cassin, John, Esq., Oxmantown,
Place.
Chad wick, Capt. Jas., Cumber-
land Square.
Chadwick, Lieut. Peter, H. P.,
Tipperary Militia, Cumberland
Square.
Collins, Capt. Graves C., Cum-
berland Square.
Collins, Major, Cumberland Sq.
Crawley, Lieutenant Thomas,
H. P., 59th, Townsend St.
"**Crotty, Eev. Michael, Main St.
^Curtin, Eev. Peter, Main Street.
Devoy, Thomas, Esq., Cumber-
land Square.
Downes, Eev. Abraham, Eector,
Castle Street.
'Drought, Fran., Esq., Croghan
House. -
-Drought, John, Esq., Whigs-
borough.
Ferny hough, Eobert, Esq., Ox-
mantown Place. --" Stoney, George, Esq., Oakly Park
Groom, Charles, Esq., Cumber- Synge, Edward, Esq., Syngefield.
land Square. Synge, Eev. Francis, Syngefield.
- Hackett, Simpson, Esq., Eivers- Walsh, Jonathan, Esq., Walsh
town. Park.
Hackett, Wm., Esq., Prospect.
Heenan, Wm.. Esq., William St.
Hobbs, Henry, Esq., Millbrook.
Holmes, Major George W., Ox-
mantown Place.
Kearney, Michael, Esq., Kear-
ney ville.
Kearney, Eichard, Esq., Cum-
berland Square.
Meagher, Eev. Phillip, Con-
naught Street.
Mellsop, John, Esq., Seneschal
of the Manor Court, Townsend
Street.
Minchin, Falkiner, Esq., Oxman-
town Place.
Mitchell, Captain, Andrew.
Mitchell, Lieutenant Eobert, H.
P., 28th, Compton's Eow.
Molloy, Mrs., Oxmantown Place.
Palmer, John, Esq., Springfield.
Palmer, Mrs., Cumberland St.
Parsons, Eev. Wm., Tullanisky
Park.
Parsons, Thomas C., Esq., Bar-
rister, Tullanisky Park.
Eichardsoh, Captain Arthur, H.
P., Cumberland Square.
Eobinson, Arthur, Esq., Cum-
berland Square.
Smith, John, Esq., High Park.
Smith, Miss, Cumberland Street.
APPENDIX.
399
Warburton, B. B., Esq., Birr-
view.
Wetherelt, John, Esq., Cumber-
land Street.
White, Mrs., The Green.
Woods, Captain Richard, Wil-
liam Street.
Woods, Thomas, Esq., Mount
Erin.
Wray, Major, Wray Mount.
MERCHANTS, TRADESMEN, &c.
Academies.
Kelly, Patrick (English), Castle
Street.
M'Dono, Laurence (Classical),
William Street.
Nevin, Patrick (English), Con~
naught Street.
Shields, John (English), Castle-
Street.
Apothecaries.
Read, John, Main Street.
Usher, Noble L., Main Street. '
Woods, Thomas (to Fever Hos-
pital and Dispensary), Duke
Street.
Attorneys.
Abbott, John, Cumberland St.
Cooke, Thos. L., Cumberland St.
Hobart, W. L., Walcott.
Little,' George, Cumberland St.
Mitchell, George, The Green.
Auctioneers.
Connolly, James, Main Street.
Hemsworth, Denton, Cumber-
land Street.
Shannon, Daniel, Bridge Street.
Bakers.
Bergin, Wm., Main Street.
Coates, John, Main Street.
Dignan, Christopher, Castle St.
Miller, Thos., Main Street.
Boot and Shoe Makers.
Compton, John, Moorpark St.
Treacy, Simon, Main Street.
Brewers and Distillers.
Hackett, Michael, Moorpark St.
Hackett, Robert, Moorpark St.
Robinson, Robert, Castle Street.
Robinson, Arthur, Castle Street.
Carpenters and Builders.
Ryan, William, The Green.
Walsh, George, The Green.
Walsh, John, The Green.
Warren, Edward, Castle Street.
Coach-maker.
Coghlan, William.
Confectioners.
M'Cumley, Catherine, Main St.
Murphy, Mary, Main Street.
Sylvester, Anne, Duke Street.
Sylvester, Thomas, Main Street.
i Cutlers.
Hawksley, John, Connaught St.
Read, Hiram, Main Street.
Earthenware Dealers.
Blake, Peter, Main Street.
D'Arcy, William, Main Street.
Simmons, John, Main Street.
400
APPENDIX.
Grocers.
D'Arcy, William, Main Street.
Egan, John, Main Street.
Kennedy, Body, Main Street.
Kingston, John, Main Street.
Miller, Thomas, Main Street.
O'Brien, James, Main Street.
Smith, Mary, Castle Street.
Wallis, William, Main Street.
Innkeepers.
Coghlan, James, Parson's Arms,
Main Street.
Dooley, George, King's Arms,
Cumberland Square.
Ironmongers.
Corcoran, Jeremiah, Main Street.
Fayle, William, Main Street.
Linen Drapers.
Anglesey, Thomas, Main Street.
Carroll, Patrick, Main Street.
Crawley, G-eorge, Main Street.
Crawley, Joseph, Main Street.
Davis, Thomas, Main Street.
Egan, John, Main Street.
Fitzpatrick, Catherine, Main St.
Kennedy, Body, Main Street. ^
Kingston, John, Main Street.
Meade, Rebecca and Son, Main
Street.
Reynolds, Patrick, Main Street.
Woods, Richard, Duke Street. ,
Woods, Robert and Stephen,
Duke Street.
Physicians.
Heenan, John, M.D., William
Street.
Kelly, Hubert, M.D., Cumber-
land Street.
Printer and Stationer.
-Legge, Thomas, Duke Street.
Publicans.
Brown, Robert, The Bridge.
Brown, William (Cherry Tree),
The Green.
Carey, Edw. (Crown & Anchor),
Main Street.
Coghlan, Joseph, The Bridge.
Coghlan, Patk. (Cars & Horses),
Main Street.
Dennison, Edward, Main Street.
Dunne, Daniel, Market Square.
Egan, P. (Red Cow), The Green.
Egan, Thomas, Main Street.
Finlay, Mich. (Swan), Main St.
Forster, John, Main Street.
Howard, Robert, Main Street.
Kilkeary, Edward (Fighting
Cocks), The Bridge.
Lantry, Patrick, Main Street.
Larkin, Patrick (Plough), Main
Street.
Lee, William, Main Street.
Lester, John, Market Square.
Mannion, Charles, Main Street.
Martin, Thomas (Red Cow),
The Green.
Molloy, Michael (Plough), Con-
naught Street.
Morgan, Frances (Red Lion),
Main Street.
Murray, Anne, Main Street.
O'Reilly, Edward, Main Street.
Parnell, Thomas, Connaught St.
Read, John (Black Lion), Duke
Street.
Read, Robert (Duke of York),
Townsend Street.
Sharpe, George, Market Square.
Waters, Patrick, Main Street.
Saddlers.
Fallon, James, Main Street.
Hackett, James, Main Street.
Johnson, Charles, Duke Street.
APPENDIX.
401
Surgeons.
Clifford, Wm. R. N., Cumber-
land Street-
Waters, Thomas, Oxmantown
Place.
Wilkinson, Wm., Duke Street.
Tailors.
Bourke, Patrick, Graveyard St.
Brown, William, Back Lane.
Drew, Michael, Market Square.
Gallagher, James, Main Street.
M'Cormick, John, Church Lane.
Tallow Chandlers.
Blake, John, Market Square.
Miller, John, Main Street.
Tanners.
Hart, Edward, The Bridge.
Keenahan, Edward, The Bridge.
Watch and Clock Makers.
Banko, John, Cumberland St.
Lynn, Michael, Cumberland Sq.
Morgan, George, Main Street.
Ryall, George, Main Street.
Wool Combers.
Galvin, John, Main Street.
"Hackett, Thomas, Graveyard St.
Madden, Wm., Market Square.
Miscellaneous.
Ashfield, James, Gunsmith, Con-
naught Street.
Carroll, William, Silversmith,
Castle Street.
Dooly, Patrick, Cabinet Maker,
Duke Street.
Elliott, George, Dyer, Moorpark
Street.
Legge, Thomas, Coroner, and
Secretary to the Grand Jury.
Meade, Robert, Merchant, Cum-
berland Street.
Murphy, J., Haberdasher, Main
Street.
-Read, Wm., Timber Merchant,
The Green.
Smallman, Thos., Hatter, Duke
Street.
Winter, Robert, Leather Seller,
Main Street.
No. 15.
NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF ROSCREA AND
NEIGHBOURHOOD, IN THE TEAR 1823.
GENTRY AND CLERGY.
Acres, Adam, Esq., Mill Park.
Acres, Thomas, Esq.
Bannan, Rev. Timothy.
Birch, Geo., Esq., Mount Inchia.
Birch, John, Esq., Birch Grove.
Birch, Timothy, Esq.
Birch, William Henry, Esq.,
Birch Grove.
Bridge, Mrs., Ashbury.
Buckley, Wm. , Esq. Hillsborough
Canter, Joseph, Esq. , Ann Grove.
Chetwyn, Captain, Dungar.
2c
402
APPENDIX.
Cockrane, Captain.
Cox, Hopton Butler, Esq.,
Laurel Hill.
Darby, John, Esq., Leap Castle.
Dudley, Shelton, Esq., Mount
Dudley. i
Evans, Win., Esq.,Dungar Park.
Freeman, Francis, Esq., Sum-
mer Hill.
Goulding, William, Esq., Mall.
Hamilton, Rev. John.
Harding, Henry, Esq., Grange.
Harding, Samuel, Esq.
Harding, Wm., Esq.
Hart, Charles, Esq., Tinderry.
Head, Henry, Esq., Clonlisk.
Hurst, George, Esq.. Fancraft.
Hutchinson, Captain, Timoney
Park.
Hutchinson, Wm. Henry, Esq.,
Rock Forest.
Jackson, Peter, Esq., Inane.
. Kelly, Rev. John.
^K Kenedy, Rev. O'Kenedy.
L'Estrange, Rev. Thomas, rector,
Glebe House.
Lloyd, Colonel, Gloster.
Lloyd, J., Esq., Lowland House.
Minuet, William, Esq.,Cloughan.
O'Shaunessey, Rev. James, P.P.
Palmer, Sandford, Esq.
Palmer, Thos., Esq., Glana-
curragh.
Prettie, Hon. F. A., M.P., Cor-
ville.
Sheane, Arthur Thos., Esq.
Smith, Captain, Mount Butler.
Smith, John, Esq., Anneville.
Smith, Joshua, Esq., Drum Hill.
Smith, Patten, Esq., Verdant
Hill.
Smith, Wm., Esq., Racket HaU.
Stewart, Rev. Samuel Henry.
Stuart, Lieutenant.
Taylor, General, Mount Eaton.
Yaughan, Wm. P., Esq., Golden
Grove.
Wood, Rev. Samuel, Mall.
MERCHANTS, TRADESMEN, &c.
Academies.
O'Donnell, Edw. (Gentlemen's
Day).
Stewart, Rev. Samuel (Gentle-
men's Day), Castle Street.
Wood, Rev. Samuel
and Day for Ladies), Mall.
Apothecaries.
Attorneys.
Cathcart, Rolleston N.
Cox, Samuel, Mall.
Maxwell, Albert, Glenalbert.
Talbot Samuel, Main Street.
(Boardmg""Talbot, Leece (Commissioner of
Affidavits, Master Extraordi-
nary for Chancery, and Re-
ceiverof SpecialBail), MainSt.
Delany, Thomas, Main Street.
Downer, William Henry (and
manufacturing chemist), New
Medical Hall, Main Street.
Powell, Mrs., Main Street.
jBalcers.
Acres, Robert (and miller), Main
Street.
Egan, Stephen, Cottage.
Jackson, Edward, Main Street.
APPENDIX.
403
Maher, Timothy, Castle Street.
M'Gennis, , Main Street.
M'Q-ennis, Win., Main Street.
O'Lery, Elizabeth, Main Street.
Wood, Moses, Castle Street.
Booksellers,
Cleary, John, Main Street.
Eggers, Paul (and Printer),
Castle Street.
Boot and Shoe Makers.
Brierley , Srimpton, Castle Street.
Curtis, Daniel, Castle Street.
Dann, John, Main Street.
Dann, Jonathan, Main Street.
Dwyer, James, Main Street.
wv^Evans, James, Main Street.
V ' Gilfoil, Daniel, Abbey Street.
Kennedy, William, Main Street.
Brewers.
Birch & Co. (and Distillers).
Egan, Stephen.
Carpenters.
M'Donall, John.
Phelan, William, Rosemary St.
Cabinet Maker.
Lynham, Matthew, Main Street.
Confectioner.
Higgins, John, Castle Street.
Earthenware Dealers.
Delaney, John, I/merick Street.
Kirwin, Patrick, Rosemary St.
O'Lery, Elizabeth, Main Street.
Lynnan, Matthew, Main Street.
Grocers.
Fawcett, George, Main Street.
M'Gennis, William, Main Street.
Woodlock, John, Main Street.
Haberdashers.
Cleary, John, Main Street.
Fawoett, George, Main Street.
M'Gennis, William, Main St.
Richardson, Robert, Castle St.
Whitten, Anne, Main Street.
Inns and Hotels.
Brown, William.
Smallman, Isaac (White Hart).
Iron Merchant.
Dudley, Francis, Castle Street.
Ironmongers.
Comerford, James, Main Street.
Dudley, Francis (and Trimming
and Fancy Warehouse), Castle
Street.
Evans, Richard, Main Street.
Tracey, Michael, Rosemary St.
Leather Sellers.
Carroll, Michael, Main Street.
Dann, John, Main Street.
Jackson, William, Main Street.
Smallman, Thomas, Mall.
Tracey, John, Limerick Street.
Linen Drapers.
Fawcett, George, Main Street.
Palmer, Francis, Main Street.
Reynolds, Nicholas, Main St.
Rhodes, William, Main Street.
Richardson, Robert, Castle St.
Ryan, James, Main Street.
"fTalbot, Leece, Main Street.
Painter.
Molloy, Richard Mason (land-
scape, figure, and architect),
Castle Street.
Painters and Glaziers.
M'Donnell, Andrew, Main St.
Smallman, William, Castle St.
Physicians and Surgeon*.
Dancer, Richard.
Kingsley, William.
404
APPENDIX.
Publicans.
Bannan, Edward, Rosemary St.
Benn, Percy, Limerick Street.
Bowen, Thomas, Limerick St.
Brown, Nicholas, Main Street.
Burgin, James, Main Street.
Burgin, Martin, Limerick St.
Burgin, Nicholas, Eosemary St.
Burgin, Patrick (and Carpenter),
Castle Street.
Burke, Mary, Eosemary Street.
Carroll, William (and Mason),
Limerick Street.
Davey, Mary, Eosemary Street.
England, John, Main Street.
Faflon, John, Castle Street.
Feehan, Michael (Beef Steak
Tavern), Castle Street.
Ghiynan, Daniel, Eosemary St.
Harvey, Patrick, Bridge.
Higgins, Peter, Limerick Street.
Keeshan, James, Eosemary St.
Kelly, Hugh, Castle Street.
Kelly, John, Main Street.
Kinnah, William, Limerick St.
Mailer, Df nis, Eosemary Street.
Maher, Timothy.
Maher, William, Main St.
M -Clean, James, Castle Street.
M'Gennis, John, Main Street.
O'Brien, Eliza, Eosemary St.
Phelan, James, Eosemary St.
Phelan, Thomas, Castle Street.
Snow, Michael, Main Street.
Walsh, Edward, Eosemary St.
t Saddlers.
Evans, William, Main Street.
Large, Henry, Castle Street.
Wood, Morris, Castle Street.
Tailors.
Abbott, William, Mall.
Hendy, Thomas, Grove Street.
Maher, Cornelius, Grove Street.
Smith, Charles, Eosemary St.
Tallow Chandlers.
Crampton, Eichard, Main Street.
Jackson, Edward, Main Street.
Jackson, George, Eosemary St.
Smallman, William, Castle St.
Talbot, John, Main Street.
Tanners.
Carroll, Michael, Main Street.
Smallman, Thomas, Mall.
Timber Merchants.
Dudley, Francis, Castle Street.
Marshall, Samuel, Eosemary St.
Tracey, Michael, Eosemary
Street.
Tobacconists.
Feehan, Kierney (manufacturer),
Main Street.
Woodlock, William (manufac-
turer), Main Street.
Wine and Spirit Dealers.
Fawcett, George, Main Street.
M'Gennis, John, Main Street.
M'Gennis, William, Main Street.
Palmer, Francis, Main Street.
Woodlock, Patrick, Main Street.
Woollen Manufacturers.
Buckley, Henry, Hillsborough
Factory.
Carroll, Joseph, Eosemary St.
Grotty, Thomas, Main Street.
Hayes, G. (and Stuff), Castle St.
Malone, Peter, Main Street.
Ehodes, William, Main Street.
Miscellaneous.
Brown, William, Watch Maker,
Castle Street.
Crawford, Hugh, Brazier, Eose-
mary Street.
Goulding, James, Smith.
Lynch, Jonathan, Gun Maker,
O'Brien, A., Salt Manufacturer.
Young, Ben., Stamp Distributer.
APPENDIX.
405
No. 16.
NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF FRANKFORD
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD, IN THE YEAR 1823.
NOBILITY, GENTRY, AND CLERGY.
Blakeley, Mrs. *
Buchanan, Rodolphus, Esq.
Drought, Robert, Esq., Ridge-
mount.
Fitzsimons, Nicholas, Esq., Cas-
tlewood.
Flanagan, Simon, Esq.
Gaynon, Peter F., Esq.
'Hobbs, George, Esq.
Hobbs, Capt. Thus, Greenhills.
Lattimore, Noble, Ensign 9th
Regiment.
Lynch, Rev. Walter.
Magauly, Countess, Temora.
Mitchell, Adam, Esq., Barnaby.
Molloy, John, Esq.
Parker, John, Esq., Collector of
Land Tax, Ballyboy.
Salmon, Lieut. Henry, 10th
Regt. Foot, H.P.
-f Stoney, Andrew, Esq. Set
Whitneld, Lieut. Wm. 62n
Regt. Foot, H.P.
MERCHANTS, TRADERS, &c.
Professional Gentlemen.
Haslam, Drought, Surgeon.
Haslam, John, Attorney.
Shopkeepers and Traders.
Deehan, John, Linen Draper.
Forster, Thomas, Miller.
Garrett, Jas., Tallow Chandler.
Grady, John, Linen Draper.
Langton, Mary Ann, Grocer.
Mahon, Daniel, Grocer.
M 'Donald, John, Grocer.
Molloy, Patrick, Linen Draper.
Mooney, James, Baker.
Murray, John, Baker.
Publicans.
Burriss, Benjamin.
Gaynon, Mary Ann, Hotel.
M'Cormick, Thomas.
M 'Redmond, Thomas.
406
APPENDIX.
No. 17.
NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF PHILIPSTOWN
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD, IN THE YEAR 1823.
GENTEY AND CLEEGY.
Farrell, Eichard, Esq.
Fayle, Disney, Esq.
Goff, Mrs.
Hamilton, Eev. Edward.
Kelly, John, Esq.
Kelly, Patrick, Esq.
Lucas, Ben., Esq., Mount Lucas.
M'Gann,Wm.H., Esq., Cloneral.
O'Eeilly, Eev. Mathew.
Eotherham, Mrs.
Scully, William, Esq.
Shaw, Sylvester, Esq.
Smith, B. D., Esq., Forth Castle.
Stephens, Peter, Esq.
Wade, Thomas, Esq.
MEECHANTS, TEADEES, &c.
Bardin, James, Baker.
Dean, John, Tallow Chandler.
Denis, Edward, Apothecary.
Donolan, James, Watch and
Clock Maker.
Fitzpatrick, Mary, Miller.
Gerraghty, Mary, Grocer.
Grange, Davis, Tallow Chandler.
Hulbert, George, Collector of
Canal Tolls.
Jackson, Joseph, Grocer and
Draper.
Johnston, John, Grocer and
Draper.
Kiernan, Eich., Woollen Draper.
Mullen, James, Baker.
Eyan, Deborah, Linen Draper.
Scully, Owen, Grocer.
Simpson, Thomas, Governor of
the Gaol.
Taylor, Thomas, Master of the
Free School.
Whitfield, Thomas, Tanner and
Tallow Chandler.
Publicans.
Byrne, Hester.
Crouly, Eliza.
Dyer, Edward.
Egan, Bartholomew.
Kirwin, John.
Lynch, Philip.
M'Owen, William.
Mullen, Catherine.
Murphy, Martha, Innkeeper.
Odium, Oliver.
APPEXDIX.
No. 18.
407
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD, IX THE TEAR 1823.
NOBILITY, GENTRY, AND CLERGY.
Acres, Capt. Thos., Tullamore
House.
Armstrong, Miss, Castle View.
Banks, Rev. Robt., Church St.
Bayly, Thos. Lieut., H. P., 1st
Regt. of Foot, Crow Street.
Berry, Francis, Esq., Charleville
Street.
Bidulph, Fran. H., Esq., Anna-
more.
Billing, Capt., "Windmill Street.
Bridge, Win., Esq., High St.
Briscoe, Wm. N., Esq., Bury Qy.
Briscoe, Wm. T.,Esq., Screggan.
Charlevilie, Earl, Charleville
Forest.
Cocks, Wm., Esq., High Street.
Conroy, Edw., Esq., Barrack St.
Conroy, John, Esq., Killiegh.
Crawford, Jas., Esq., High St.
Crows, Misses, Crow Street.
Curtis, Robt., Esq., Barrack St.
Curtis, William, Esq., Cluna.
Drought, John, Esq., Charle-
ville Street.
Edwards, Mrs., High Street.
Freer, Thomas, Lieut., H. P.,
Church Street.
Fuller, Abraham, Esq., Charle-
ville Street.
Gouldsbury, Rev. Ponsonby, St.
Catherine's.
Green, Sainl., Esq., Church St.
Grier, Abraham, Esq., Commis-
sioner for taking Affidavits,
Barrack Street.
Hamilton, Rev. Andrew, Church
Street.
Hamilton, J., Esq., Church St.
Handy, Fleming, Esq., Crow St.
Handy, Win. Orm, Ormston.
Hemsworth, Christopher, Lieut.
H.P. Limerick Militia, Market
Square.
Hutchinson, John, Esq., Sur-
veyor of Excise, Store Street.
Judge, John Chapman, Esq.,
High Street.
Killaly, Mrs., High Street.
Killett, Francis, Esq., Store St.
King, John, Esq., Market Sq.
King, Thomas, Esq., High St.
Locke, Mrs., High Street.
Loftus, Ed., Esq., Charleville St.
Loftus, Mrs., Charleville Street.
Malone, Richard, Esq., Palace
Park.
Meredith, Rev. Jos., Barrack St.
Mulock, Wm., Esq., Charleville
Street.
Newton, Capt., Bury Quay.
O'Brien, Miss, Rahan Lodge.
O'Connor, Mrs., Mount Pleasant.
0' Flanagan, Andrew, Esq.,
Windmill Street.
O'Flanagan, James, Esq., Mar-
ket Square.
O'Ratferty, Rev. J., P.P., Chapel
House.
Pilkington, Edw., Esq., High St.
St. Leger, Rev. Robt., Tullabeg.
Slater, Mrs., High Street.
408
APPENDIX.
Slater, Robt. B., Esq., Market
Square.
Smith, Sir W. 0. (Judge) New-
town.
Stackpoole, Capt. John, Wind-
mill Street.
Stewart, Jas., Esq., Bury Quay.
Tarleton, Capt., Fentor Lodge.
Tarleton, J. W., Esq., Killiegh.
Tullamore, Lord, Charleville
Forest.
Turpin, Eev.Wm. B., Brookville.
Vaughan, Mrs., High Street.
Walby, Samuel, Lieut., H.P.,
Royal Waggon Train, Crow
Street.
Wallace, William, Esq., Charle-
ville Street.
Wilson, Mrs., High Street.
MERCHANTS, TRADESMEN, &c.
Academies.
Fitzgerald, T. and J. (Classical),
High Street.
Hutchinson, Wm. (Classical),.
High Street.
M'Donald, Mrs. (Ladies Board-
ing), Charleville Street.
Noland, Miss (Ladies Boarding),
High Street.
Apothecaries.
Dunn, Laverock S., Barrack St.
Leech, Adam, Pound Street.
Attorneys.
Kennedy, George, Barrack St.
Pierce, George, Market Square.
Auctioneers.
Campbell, Peter, Church Street.
Forbes, John Wm., Pound St.
Hughes, Richard, Church St.
Bakers.
Connolly, John, Chapel Lane.
Doyle, William, High Street.
Duggan, Thomas, High Street.
O'Neille, Wm., Pound Street.
Parsons, Charles, High Street.
Whitehead, Mary, Barrack St.
Boot and Shoe Makers.
Duggan, Edward, Harbour St.
M'Cormick, Bernard, Barrack St.
.Ryan, John, Barrack Street.
Boat Proprietors.
Berry, Sterling and Francis,
Canal Harbour.
Brewers.
Deverell, Wm. (and Tanner),
High Street.
Manley, Joseph, Market Square.
Coach Makers.
Morgan, Andrew, Canal Harbour
Shaddick, John, Store Street.
Earthenware Dealers.
Geoghegan, Eleanor, High St.
Heeny, Bryan, High Street.
Smith, Esther, Pound Street.
Grocers.
Burgess, John (and Linen
Draper), Harbour Street.
Carroll, John, High Street.
Clegg, John, Church Street.
Deverell, Wm., Barrack Street.
APPENDIX.
409
Hall, Wm., High Street.
Jackson, Joseph (and Wine and
Spirit Merchant), Pound St.
Molloy, M. & A. (and Wine and
Spirit Merchant), High St.
.Ryan, William (and Wine and
Spirit Merchant), High St.
Ryan, James, High Street.
Sterling, James, Church Street.
Wade, Wm., Barrack Street.
Hardware Dealers.
Bryne, Michael (and Iron Foun-
der), Pound Street.
Molloy, Mary, High Street.
Ridley, Francis, Pound Street.
Innkeepers.
Morgan, Andrew (Grand Canal
Hotel), Canal Harbour.
Ridley, John (Charleville Arms),'
Pound Street.
Leather Sellers.
Disney, James, Pound Street.
Mulready, Michael, Barrack St.
Rothery, Joseph, Pound Street.
Linen Drapers.
Cantwell, Edward, Pound St.
Carroll, John, Pound Street.
Nugent, James & Co., Pound St.
Nugent, William, Harbour St.
Wilson, Margaret, High Street.
Milliners.
Belton, S. & A., High Street.
Elcoate, Eliza (and Haberdasher)
High Street.
Physicians.
Boyce, Robert (and Surgeon),
Market Square.
Brereton, Joshua, High Street.
Printer and Stationer.
Willis, Richard, High Street.
Publicans.
Brien, John, Pound Street.
Brien, Mary Ann, Pound Street.
Byrne, Patrick, Pound Street.
Condron, Timothy, Pound St.
Daly, John, Pound Street.
Daly, Peter, Pound Street.
Dooley, John, High Street.
Dunn, Patrick, Barrack Street.
Gray, Richard, Pound Street.
Lane, Michael, High Street.
M'Cbrmick, Peter, High Street.
Melvin, John, Harbour Street.
Noud, Wm., Harbour St.
Quin, Patrick, Harbour Street.
Roberts, James, High Street.
Scully, Edward, Harbour Street.
Stephens, John, Barrack Street.
Walker, John, Pound Street.
Whelahan, Richard, Harbour
Street.
Tailors.
Hynes, Wm., Church Street.
M'Loughlin, David, Market Sq.
Tallow Chandlers.
Deverell, Wm., Barrack Street.
M'Mullen, John, High Street.
Waters, Francis, Pound Street.
Watch and Clock Makers.
Benbow, Thos., Church Street.
Coffey, Wm., Barrack Street.
Woollen Drapers.
Dillon, Edward, High Street.
Gundy, William, Pound Street.
Malone, Francis, Harbour St.
410
APPENDIX.
Miscellaneous.
Brunskill, Thomas, Brickmaker,
High Street.
Cunningham, Richard, Saddler
and Harness Maker, Barrack
Street.
Deane, John, Painter & Glazier,
High Street.
Fallon, John, Tobacco Manufac-
turer, High Street.
Forster, Rich., Cutler, Church
Street.
Haslam, Robt., Hatter, Church
Street.
M'Cord, Samuel, Gun Maker,
Barrack Street.
Manley, Thos., Tanner, High St.
Manley, Winslow, Starch Manu-
facturer, Church Street.
M 'Mullen, Robt., Builder, High
Street.
Murphy, Wm., Haberdasher,
Barrack Street.
Pentland, Henry, Distiller,
Church Street.
Pierce, Geo., Surgeon to the
County Infirmary, Market Sq.
Robinson, Wm., Builder, Char-
leville Street.
Sinnott, John, Silk Manufac-
turer, Store Street.
Woods, Christopher, Agent,
Windmill Street.
No. 19.
NAMES OP THE PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF NENAGH AND
QB^taM
NEIGHBOURHOOD, IN THE YEAR 1823.
NOBILITY, GENTRY, AND CLERGY.
Allen, Henry, Esq., Shenbally.
Baldwin, Edward, Esq., Castle
Street.
Bayly, Rev. Henry, Rector,
Cloverhill.
Bayly, James, Esq., Fishing
Lodge.
Bayly, John, Esq., Dilsboro'.
Bayly, Peter, Esq., Shannonoah
Bennett, John, Esq., Riverstone.
Biggs, G. B., Esq., Belview.
Bourne, William Henry, Esq.,
Springmount.
Brereton, Thos. , Esq. , Rathnates-
Cantrell, John, Esq., Castle St.
Cantrell, Robert Smith, Esq.,
Castle Street.
Carroll, Mrs. Eliza, Castle St.
Carroll, , Esq., Barrack St.
Cashel, R., Esq., Bushfield.
Cash el, R. P., Esq., Silvermines
Castle.
Cooper, , Esq., Barrack Street.
Crawford, J., Esq., Ballintoher.
Crawford, W. C., Esq., Rapla.
D' Alton, Count, Gunanstowu.
Dunally, Lord, Kilboy. -
Falkiner, John, Esq., Prospect.
APPENDIX.
411
Falkiner, Rev. Thomas, Curate,
Summerville.
Featherstone, Eev. Cuthbert,
Castle Street.
Finch, George, Esq., Killolman.
Fitzpatrick, Jas., Esq , Moyroe.
Gason, Eichd. W., Esq., Her-
mitage.
Going, Thos., Esq., Traverston^
Harding, Jonathan, Esq., Her-.
mitage.
Harding, Wm., Esq., Hazel
Point.
Hawking,Eichd.,Esq.,Millbrook
_Head, Eev. John, Bally van-
ran.
Holmes, the Very Eev. Dean,
Kilmore House.
Jackson, George, Esq., Mount-
pleasant.
Kennedy, Edw., Esq., Bantis.
Laurence, Samuel, Esq., Castle
Street.
Lewis, Minchin, Esq., Island
. Baron.
yr Meagher, Miss Amy, Castle St.
tftf-'Meagher, Jas., Esq., Ballyanny.
>> Minnet, Josi&li
R"ev. FredT, Castle-
crana.
O'Brien, Donatius, Esq., Tyone.
O'Connor, Eev. Ambrose, P.P.,
Barrack Street.
O'Meara, James, Esq., Barrack
Street.
O'Meara, Morgan, Esq., Barrack
Street.
Otway, Eev. J. S., Castle Otway.
Pepper, Theo., Esq., Norwood.
Poe, John, Esq., Solsboro'.
Poe, Wm., Esq., Donny brook.
Prendergast, , Esq., Peterfield.
S[adliej/rhos. T
ShortTHenry,
mona.
Short, John, Esq., Camira.
Short, J. B., Esq., Lismore.
Smith, Aquilla, Esq., Castle St.
Smith, Win., Esq., South Hill.
Terry, Eev. Thos., P.O., Barrack
Street.
Waller, Sir Eobt., Bart., Lisson
Hall.
Watson, George, Esq., Garret
Kennedy.
Watson, F ,Esq., Brook Watson.
Wellington, James, Esq., Castle
Wellington.
| Young, Francis, Esq., Shallee.
Young, Henry, Esq., Armbrook
Young, Eobt., Esq .^Canada.
MEECHANTS, TEADESMEN, &c.
Attorneys.
Dillon, O'Brien, Pound Street.
Grace, John Egan, Pound Street.
Kiernan, John and Francis,
Smithville.
Langford, George, Silver Street.
Lee, Edward, Castle Street.
O'Brien, Fitzgerald, Castle St.
O'Brien, John, Barrack Street.
Power, Richard O'Shea, Castle
Street.
Physicians.
Dempster, James (and Sur-
geon), Castle Street.
M'Keogh, Pierce, Castle Street.
412
APPENDIX.
O'Leary, George, Castle Street.
Quin, Neil (and Surgeon), Castle
Street.
Sillcock, Isaac (Surgeon), Pound
Street.
Apothecaries.
Dillon, Q-arrett, Pound Street.
Harty, Michael (and Seedsman),
Castle Street.
Larkin, John White, Castle St.
Toohey, Austin, Pound Street.
Auctioneers,
Bull, John, Pound Street.
Considine, Philip, Castle Street.
Bakers.
Acres, James, Castle Street.
Bryan, Ann, Castle Street.
Hogan, Wm., Pound Street.
Sweeney, James (and Flour
Dealer), Barrack Street.
Welsh, Andrew, Barrack St.
Boot and Shoe Makers.
Acres, Wm., Pound Street.
Consedine, Bryan, Castle Street.
Grace, Michael, Silver Street.
Griffin, Michael (and Leather
Cutter), Barrack Street.
Harden, Nicholas (and Leather
Cutter), Silver Street.
Kennedy, James, Silver Street,
Murray, Frederick, Pound St.
Pnobinson, John, Castle Street.
Ryan, John, Silver Street.
Brewers.
Burr, Wm. & Co., Spout Eoad.
Feather and Skin Dealers.
Flannery, Daniel, Barrack St.
Hanley, J., Castle Street.
Flour and Meal Dealers.
Brindley, John, Silver Street.
Quirk, Timothy, Silver Street.
Grocers and Spirit Dealers.
Brien, Patk. (and Draper), Castle
Street.
Coughlin, Edw. (and Draper),
Castle Street.
Cronin, David, Castle Street.
Cunningham, John (and Draper),
Castle Street.
Fitzpatrick, James, Barrack St.
Hill, John, Castle Street.
Kennedy, John, Pound Street.
Kennedy, Patk. (and Draper),
Castle Street.
M'Grath, James (and Hard-
wareman), Barrack Street.
M'Grath, John (and Draper),
Castle Street.
O'Brien, Daniel, Barrack Street.
Innkeeper.
King's Arms, John Brundley,
Castle Street.
Iron and Deal Merchants.
Burr, George (and Salt Manu-
facturer), Barrack Street.
Hemsworth, Christopher Wm.
(and Coal), Castle Street.
Leather Sellers.
Hickey, Patrick, Pound Street.
Murray, Michael, Pound Street.
APPENDIX.
413
Linen Drapers.
Abbott, Thos. Thompson, Castle
Street.
Acheson, George, Castle Street.
Corbett, Martin, Pound Street.
Corbett, Wm., Castle Street.
Coulahan, Michael, Barrack St.
D'Arcy, John, Castle Street.
D'Arcy, Patrick, Castle Street.
Kennedy, Richd., Castle Street.
O'Brien, Patrick, Castle Street.
Spain, Michael, Castle Street.
Spain, Rodolphus, Castle Street.
Toohey, John, Pound Street.
Millers.
Nugent, Thos., Castle Street.
Shaw, Michael, Castle Street.
Publicans.
Andrew, John, Pound Street.
Bartley, Patrick, Silver Street.
Dunlay Michael, Pound Street.
Dwyer, Michael, Pound Street.
Flannery, Wm., Pound Street.
Gleeson, B., Castle Street.
Gleeson, Edward, Silver Street.
Grace, Darby, Pound Street.
Harding, Wm. (and Stone and
Marble Mason), Barrack St.
Haugh, Patrick, Castle Street.
Heaney, Wm. (Stationer), Bar-
rack Street.
Henebry, Wm., Pound Street.
Hogan, Michael, Castle Street.
Kenna, John, Castle Street.
Kennedy, John, Pound Street.
O'Shaughnessy, Connor, Castle
Street.
Ryan, Bridget, Barrack Street.
Walsh, M'nrtin, Barrack Street.
White, Michael, Castle Street.
Saddlers.
rAbbott, John, Castle Street.
Acres, James, Castle Street.
Leake, Edward Pearce, Castle
Street.
Tallow Chandlers.
Burke, John, Castle Street.
Carroll, Ann, Barrack Street.
Carroll, Ignatius, Barrack St.
Cleary, John, Pound Street.
Cleary, Patrick, Castle Street.
Loughlin, John, Barrack Street.
Spain, Wm., Pound Street.
Tanners.
Hill, John, Castle Street.
Kennedy, Patrick, Castle Street.
Leake, Edward Pierce, Castle
Street.
Tobacconists.
Hill, John, Castle Street.
Kennedy, John, Pound Street.
Wool Combers and Clothiers.
Armstrong, Wm., Pound Street.
Lewis. John (Dye Stuff Mer-
oirant), Pound Street.
Meara, Wm., Barrack Street.
Miscellaneous.
Cane, Patrick, Tea Dealer, Sta-
tioner and Perfumer, Castle
Street.
Clarke, Philip, Watch and Clock
Maker, Castle Street.
Cleary, Denis, Pawnbroker,
Barrack Street.
Dwyer, John, Dyer, Pound St.
414
APPENDIX.
Evans, Robert,
Castle Street.
Ironmonger, ' Hany, Thomas, Parish Clerk,
Barrack Street.
Fletcher, Robert, Cabinetmaker
and Upholsterer,
Street.
Castle
King, Timothy, Catholic Parish
Clerk, Pound Street.
Pine, Thos., Whitesmith, Pound
Street.
No. 20.
NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS OF BANAGHER AND
NEIGHBOURHOOD, IN THE YEAR 1823.
GENTRY AND CLERGY.
Armstrong, Capt. Thomas St.
George, Garry Castle House.
Armstrong, Captain Andrew.
Banko, James, Esq.
Batt, Samuel, Esq.
Bell, Allen Clerke, LL.D., Mas~
ter of the Royal School, Cuba
House.
Burdett, Rev. J., Glebe House.
Costelloe, Loury, Esq.
Gumming, Alexander, Esq.
Daly, Arthur, Esq.
Drought, Capt. Bortholomew.
Enraght, Francis, Esq.
Flattery, Daniel, Esq.
Flattery, Ensign Bernard, H.P.
Fleetwood, Thomas, Esq.
Grant, James, Esq., Claremont.
Harton, William, Esq.
Hayes, John, Esq.
Hemmings, Capt. Mathew.
Hussey, Capt. Thomas.
Kenny, Rev. John.
Kenny, Laurence, Esq.
Mould, James, Purveyor, H.P.
Mulock, Win., Esq., Park.
0' Moore, Colonel.
Purifoy, Rev. Thomas.
Smith, Joshua, Esq.
Taylor, Mrs.
Warburton, Richard, Lieut.
King's County Militia, H.P.
Whitley, Thomas, Esq.
Woods, W., Lieut. 15th Regt.
Foot, H.P.
MERCHANTS, TRADERS, &c.
Professional Gentlemen. Shopkeepers and Traders.
Charles, Cabinet-
Bird, William S., Physician.
Boyce, Robert, Surgeon.
Burke, Richd. Walter, Attorney.
Ashenhurst,
maker.
Colgan, Joseph, Corn Merchant.
APPENDIX.
415
Deehan, Thos., Linen Draper.
Duffield, William, Baker.
Duffy, John, Linen Draper.
Dras, Thos., Boot and Shoe-
maker.
Fallon, John, Grocer and Tobac-
conist.
Forster, James, Tallow Chandler
Glenn, Eliza, Linen Draper.
Harton, John L., Miller.
Hoare, Denis, Linen Draper.
Hoy, John, Baker.
Killeen, Thomas, Miller.
Miller, David, Grocer.
Miller, Thos., Revenue Officer.
Miller, Thos., Weigh Master.
Mitchell, James, Linen Draper.
Molloy, Kiran, Brewer.
Hoy Ian, Michael, Linen Draper.
Mulhare, Daniel, Tailor.
Mulock, Mary, Baker.
Richardson, John, Tailor.
Swiney, Benjamin, Baker.
Treacy, Geo., Linen Draper.
Walsh, Solomon, Tailor.
Woods, Eichd., Tallow Chandler.
Innkeepers.
Hearn, Simon.
Mann, Edward, Harp Inn.
Publicans.
Bennett, Thomas.
Boyle, Patrick (and Grocer).
Burke, Michael.
Carroll, Ellen, Bird in Hand.
Do! an, Thomas.
Kelly, Garret, Red Lion.
Killeen, Thomas.
Miscellaneous.
Fahy, John, Victualler.
Fahy, John, and Molloy ,"Francis,
Owners of the celebrated pas-
sage boat known as
Speed of Banagher."
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